Another Chance
by CharlotteAshmore
Summary: Belle's not the shy, timid little lab assistant Dr. Rush always believed her to be. Would he have brought her aboard Destiny if he'd had a choice in the matter? A reboot of the series basically, but with my own twists and Belle thrown into the mix.
1. Air Part 1

Summary: Belle's not the shy, timid little lab assistant Dr. Rush always believed her to be. Would he have brought her aboard Destiny if he'd had a choice in the matter? A reboot of the series basically, but with my own twists and Belle thrown into the mix.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Universe nor Once Upon A Time. This is not written to infringe on any copyrights but strictly because I'm terribly bored and am happiest when I'm writing.

A/N: Two ladies very near and dear to me, AquaJasmine23 and Emilie Brown begged me to write this. I hope you all enjoy as well. I used a bit of canon dialogue from the series for technical purposes bc face it…I'm no scientist lol, and I really want this to make sense.

Another Chance

By:

CharlotteAshmore

Chapter One: Air Part 1

_Belle slowly approached his desk at the front of the auditorium style classroom, nearly biting a hole in her lip to stop her anger from bubbling forth. In the ten years since fleeing Storybrooke after the death of her true love, she__'__d learned better than most how to hide herself. She__'__d dyed her hair the mousiest brown she could find in the Clairol section of the nearest Walmart, wearing it in a demure bun at the back of her head instead of hanging in loose curls over her shoulders. She hid her startling cerulean eyes behind a pair of ordinary metal framed glasses, making sure to keep her eyes lowered, giving the illusion of shyness. And she dressed more conservatively than she ever had since gaining her release from Regina__'__s underground prison, her style more suited to her former friend, Mary Margaret, than her own. If it was one thing Belle French was adept at, it was hiding, refusing to let her guard down for a moment. Her life in Storybrooke ended the moment Gold had sacrificed himself and she was left sobbing__…__alone in the street. She__'__d never looked back, but on the off chance that someone from Storybrooke ever came searching for her, they__'__d never find her._

_ Now, she was six months away from earning her doctorate in Astrophysics and she wouldn__'__t let one paper derail her dream. She__'__d worked too long and hard to see it all become a pile of ash. It didn__'__t matter that she was exceedingly attracted to her professor__…__and not for the cosmic coincidence that he favored Gold far too much. She admired him for his quick wit and utter brilliance in his field. The physical attributes were just an added bonus. He knew for a fact how many hours she logged every week working as his teacher__'__s assistant in addition to her studies and he was just being unfair. Besides, the last thing she needed was the complications of a romantic relationship even if she thought he was capable of such. He was far too devoted to his work. Yet, it didn__'__t stop her from admiring the view. The best she could admit to was a grudging friendship. Her determination to succeed demanded she get through this on her own merit and she would never use that friendship to her own advantage, but his comments cut her to the quick._

_ Dr. Rush lifted his head from the papers he was grading and sat back in his chair, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose before arching a brow at her. His gaze raked her from head to toe as she edged closer to his desk. __"__Ah, Miss French,__"__ he said in greeting, his voice a soft caress, his brogue not as pronounced as it had been when she__'__d first met him. Years of teaching in the states had mellowed his accent just as it had her own. __"__What can I do for you?__"_

_"__Dr. Rush,__"__ she began, striving for an even tone to hide the anger burning in her chest. __"__I have questions about my paper.__"__ She flipped open the cover on her portfolio and withdrew the offending essay from within. She held it out before her as if it were dripping with refuse, a large red C- marked at the top and more than one or two notes written in the margins._

_ He glanced between her and the paper she held, making no move to take it from her. __"__And what might those questions be, Miss French? I thought I made it quite clear what you__'__d done wrong." His tongue rolled over her name as if it were precious to him._

_ Belle set the paper and the portfolio down on the desk and perched her hip against the edge, crossing her arms over her chest. She regarded him from beneath her lashes so he wouldn__'__t see the flashing ire hidden within the depths of her cerulean orbs. __"__I don__'__t agree with your assessment,__"__ she said simply._

_ The corner of his thin lips quirked up into a sneering smirk. __"__Miss French, in the four years you__'__ve taken my classes, and the two years you__'__ve been my teacher__'__s assistant, have you ever known me to alter a grade once I__'__ve marked it?__"_

_"__No.__"_

_"__Then why would you think I would do it for you?__"__ he asked, his dulcet tones dropping an octave into something that sent a pleasurable shiver skipping up her spine. __"__Because you don__'__t agree with it? Or because you are my teacher__'__s assistant in my other classes and wish to take advantage of our__…__association?__"_

_ Belle gaped at him at the mere suggestion that she would use her position to coerce him into changing her grade. __"__If you alter my grade, it will be because the work is deserving of the mark and nothing more,__"__ she insisted. __"__I just don__'__t think your assessment was fair. I put in the work__…"_

_"__And it was more suited to a first year student than what I__'__ve come to expect from you.__"__ He rose from his desk and sighed, as if he were weary of their discussion. "Your work was shoddy at best, your thought process was mediocre and it was__…__sloppy."_

_ Belle sucked in a sharp breath as he moved closer, that last word whispered just inches from her lips. "But, Dr. Rush, if my GPA slips lower than a 3.8 I'll be booted from the honors program and I won't be able to graduate early. I need this degree," she murmured, her heart racing at his close proximity. She clasped her hands behind her back to reign in her desire to reach for him, and pull him closer._

_ "Tell me, Miss French…what would you be willing to do for a better grade?" he asked, slipping one lone finger beneath her chin to tilt her face up to meet his gaze._

_ Her lips parted on a gasp as she lost herself in deep pools of warm chocolate so dark they were nearly black. He reached for her, one hand gently removing the glasses perched on her nose, the other pulling the comb from her hair, her glorious curls cascading over her shoulders to the middle of her back. He tossed her glasses onto the stack of papers next to his own and buried his hands in her unbound hair, his long fingers stroking gently over her nape as he pulled her closer, his lips brushing tenderly over hers. "Beautiful."_

_ She moaned softly, her lips parting beneath his as his tongue slid sinuously along hers, probing farther to flick against the roof her mouth. "Tell me what you want, Belle," he whispered, sucking on her lower lip. His large hands slipped over her arms and along her sides until they fitted themselves perfectly over her gently rounded hips, lifting her to sit on the edge of the desk as he stepped between her parted knees._

_ His mouth trailed a scorching path of lips, teeth, and tongue to the shell of her ear as he molded his body flush with hers, bending her back over his arm, her hair sweeping across the wood surface of the desk. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. "Nicholas…" she breathed, her nails digging into his shoulders through the white button up he wore._

_ How long had it been since someone had touched her like this? And the fact that that someone was Dr. Nicholas Rush, whom she'd wanted since she'd met him, made her all the more sensitive to his touch as his hand glided along the inside of her thigh beneath her average length skirt. She wouldn't allow herself to dwell on all the reasons this was wrong…not when it felt so good, so right, so perfect. She cried out, a long keening cry of need as his knuckles grazed against the lace covered juncture between her legs, the cloth damp with her arousal._

_ "I want you so much, Belle. I have for what seems like forever. Will you have me, Belle? Belle…"_

"Belle! Wake up!"

Belle's eyes flew open in alarm as she sat back hard in her chair, nearly toppling over. She regained her balance and laid her palms flat on her desk, glancing up at Sergeant Riley as he peered down at her, a concerned frown knitting his brow.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked, perching a hip on the corner of her desk in the limited space. Belle was organized to an OCD level, but the amount of work she was required to do on a daily basis for Dr. Rush took up most of the surface. "You were moaning in your sleep."

Crimson colored her cheeks as she covered them with her hands, pushing her glasses atop her head and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Oh gods!" she groaned.

"Must've been some dream, eh?"

"You have no idea," she deadpanned, grinning sheepishly up at him. "How long was I out this time?"

"'Bout an hour," he said, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. "You were on the same shift I was yesterday, Corporal Andrews said you worked all last night and you were here when I came on this morning. When are you planning to take a break?"

"Have you forgotten who my boss is, by any chance?" she snorted. "Just because he had to rush back to Earth to meet with the general, does not mean I can slack off while he's gone."

Riley snatched a green jolly rancher out of the small decorative crock on her desk and peeled off the wrapper. "You're not going to be able to work if you collapse, Belle. Try to get some rest, knock off at a decent hour," he suggested.

"I'll try," she promised, watching him walk back to his own terminal to monitor communications there at the base. He was a nice guy, younger than she was, and not yet jaded to the horrors she'd experienced before she was twenty. Being in the military, even such an enviable post as Icarus base, he wouldn't remain innocent for long.

She clicked the mouse and her computer screen flickered to life. She did the same to the laptop sitting next to it and checked to see if the figures in the program matched. She removed the flash drive from the laptop and reinserted it into the tower of the desktop before once again entering the calculations she and Rush had been working on before he'd been called away. It was a dream come true for him to have the chance to work in this program, his life's work finally realized. She'd jumped at the chance to come with him. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't imagine remaining to finish her degree if he wasn't there. His friendship and mentorship had breathed new life into her stagnant existence and now she felt her life had purpose again. She was doing a job she loved…the lack of sleep being the only drawback sometimes…and she was off on the greatest adventure she could have imagined.

Belle grinned at the memory of her first ride in a space ship…the same one that had brought them to Icarus base six months ago. Twenty one light years from Earth and anyone who might still be looking for her. When Rush had been offered to head the science team on this project, he'd had one request; that she would be allowed to accompany him as his assistant if she agreed. She would have been utterly stupid to refuse. So she'd packed her overlarge rucksack…the same one she carried with her everywhere so she would be ready to run if the situation required it…and set off to follow him.

The work was demanding, but highly rewarding, their singular mission to unlock the mathematical proof that would allow them to dial the ninth chevron address on the stargate. Since it had been found in the Ancients database on Atlantis, it had been a mystery, and not even she and Rush had been able to solve it. He'd even gone so far as to embed the mathematical problem into an online video game in hopes that someone might solve it. So far they'd come up empty handed, but she had hope. She had no regrets. The path she was on was surely destined. And when Rush flew off into one of his rages, she was there to soothe him through it…much to the relief of anyone within a ten foot radius. Normally he was soft spoken and studious, but woe to those foolish enough to underestimate his temper.

Her cheeks flamed once more as her mind drifted back to the dream she'd had. It seemed the more she denied her mounting feelings for Rush, the more he plagued her dreams. Her very vivid naughty dreams, she thought, groaning inwardly. Perhaps she just needed to get laid, her own hand no longer enough to satisfy her urges. The base was full of eligible young men who would suit her purposes, several of whom had already propositioned her, but she dismissed the thought as if it had never crossed her mind. She didn't want a casual relationship with just anyone. She wasn't built that way. She needed someone who could arouse her mind as well as her body and as sweet as some of her new friends were, they weren't what she wanted. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that only one man would do for her and in her mind, he was strictly off limits.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle had finally reached a stopping point in her work where she felt it wouldn't be amiss to take a short break to return to her room to shower and change. She opted for a more casual look on Icarus than she had while living on earth, preferring jeans, boots and a long sleeved blue tunic style shirt that afternoon. Quickly running a brush through her still damp hair, she coiled and pinned it at the back of her head, leaving a few stray tendrils to frame her face in her haste. She slipped her needless glasses onto her nose and locked the door of her small room behind her as she set off back to the gate room.

Tamara Johansen, better known as TJ to her friends, called out to her as she started off down the corridor. "Belle!"

Belle stopped, allowing the other woman to catch up with her, the black uniform she wore proclaiming her status as military. "Hey, TJ, you on duty? You only have two weeks left right?"

"Yeah, my scholarship came through so I'll be leaving at the end of next week."

Belle noticed the medical bag she carried. "Someone hurt?"

TJ shot her a surprised look. "You haven't heard?" Belle shook her head, a puzzled frown pulling at her lips. "Well, you didn't hear this from me, but Greer is in detention for attacking a senior officer. I'm on my way to the holding area to assess his wounds."

Belle winced, hating that the young master sergeant had finally let his temper get the better of him. He was a good friend, having taken an instant liking to her when she'd arrived at the base, but his temper was just short of volatile. "You can't mean to tell me he attacked Young. He practically worships the man."

"Telford," TJ whispered in an aside.

"Do you know why?"

TJ snorted. "This is Colonel Telford we're talking about. Who on this base can claim they haven't wanted to do the same?"

Belle chuckled in spite of herself. "You mind if I tag along? I have a few minutes to—" The radio clipped to her belt crackled to life, cutting her off.

"Miss French!"

TJ cringed, her pert nose crinkling at the sound of Dr. Rush's clipped tone. Belle held the radio closer to her mouth. "Yes, Dr. Rush?" she asked, hoping the medic didn't notice how her cheeks tinted pink at the sound of his voice.

"Gate room…_now_. Rush out."

"Crap," she groaned, clipping the radio back to her belt. "Well, back to work. TJ, tell Ron I'll try to come see him later, ok?"

She set off down the corridor leading to the gate room, her steps hurried now that her boss was back. Of course he would have to show up when she was away from her terminal and would no doubt scold her for slacking while he was away. She missed a step and nearly stumbled, catching herself at the last minute, as she took in the scene before her. Telford and Young had their team assembled in two lines on either side of the gate platform and there were three civilians she didn't know. Thankfully, they commanded Rush's attention and she was able to slip around them to her terminal unnoticed.

Belle's ears perked up with interest as he addressed a tall man in a suit, the senator of California if she had heard correctly. "As you know, up until now, we have been unable to channel the precise amount of power necessary to unlock the stargate's ninth and final chevron. However, thanks to some ingenuity from young Mr. Wallace here," Rush said, gesturing to the young man at his side, "that problem has finally been solved."

_Wait, what?_ She thought, arching a brow as she took in the man standing beside Rush. He was tall, though maybe not six feet, with dark hair and eyes. His clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, as if they'd pulled the poor soul right out of bed. This was their genius?

Colonel Young turned to smirk at Rush. "We've heard that before."

"This time we're sure," Rush assured him. Only Belle knew him well enough to notice the slight tensing of his shoulders as he answered the other man.

Eli shot a dubious look between the colonel and Rush. "That's what I figured out?"

"I embedded the mathematical problem we had to solve into the game. I then engineered your solution into a practical workable application."

Belle edged her way to Riley's side at his terminal as Young gave the order to begin the sequence, watching with avid interest as the first chevron locked in place, the gate whirring to life.

Eli gaped incredulously at Rush then turned his startled gaze on the slowly spinning gate. "We're dialing now?

Rush nodded. "A test—to see if we can make a connection."

"If we do, we will send an automated reconnaissance drone through. We'll see what's on the other side," Young said, rocking back on his heels.

Chloe, Senator Armstrong's model thin daughter, could barely contain her excitement. "And then we'll go?"

"No, first we close down again, assess the data we receive, and then perhaps send the away team," Rush said, his brows drawing together as the symbol for the ninth chevron was engaged…and refused to lock on. The gate sparked, the lights in the room flickering at the increased power.

Eli leaned close to the first lieutenant who had been assigned to him, as tour guide or just someone to keep the him out of trouble, he wasn't certain. "What's going on?"

Matthew Scott shook his head. "I dunno. We never got this far before."

Belle groaned inwardly as she watched Rush's face fall. He'd been working so hard to achieve this goal and now it seemed they would be faced with another failure.

Rush moved to stand behind Riley, checking over the man's shoulder to make sure everything had been entered into the program properly. "We matched the power requirements down to the EMU. It must work."

Young ordered Riley to shut it down and the gate went dark and slowly came to a stop. Rush wanted to protest, but decided not to bother, knowing his protests would fall on deaf ears, mumbling about running through the equations again. Belle sighed and settled at her terminal, opening the camera on her iPhone and setting it aside, ready for when she needed it, ignoring Young and his entourage as they left the gate room.

X*X*X*X*X

"What is your status, Miss French?" Rush asked, tossing a bag of Jolly Rancher hard candies on her desk and swiping up a dry erase marker. His eye never ventured from the whiteboard as he shucked his jacket. "Those are a gift from Dr. Jackson, by the way," he added as an afterthought. "He said he misses your emails."

Belle grinned at the scowl twisting his mouth and shoved the bag of candies in the open rucksack beneath her desk. "Yeah. It's absolutely dreadful not being able to email him from another planet," she remarked saucily. "I'm sure you sent him my regards?" she asked, knowing Daniel had gotten a scowl at best and Rush's best death glare at worst. She'd gotten to know the doctor well when she and Rush had been forced under his tutelage and they'd become fast friends. He was the leading authority on Ancient and she and Rush could speak it fluently after their six week course with Jackson. Now the man indulged her obsession with fruity hard candies at every opportunity. She was sad she couldn't email him to thank him properly.

Rush turned back to the board, chewing thoughtfully on the top of the marker and steadfastly ignoring her question. "Status," he reminded her.

"I'm quite well, Dr. Rush. How are you?" she asked playfully, a teasing grin stretching her lips. "And might I say it was so very thoughtful of you to bring me someone new to play with," she snarked, glancing at Eli with a wink. The boy blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You are determined to distract me," he snarled.

Belle shrugged, enjoying their exchange. "Of course."

Rush tossed the marker onto her desk and raked a frustrated hand through his hair. "Fine. It's lovely to see you, Miss French. I missed your witty repartee while I was away and just couldn't _wait_ to get back. Dr. Jackson drilled me for information on how you are doing and I told him you were busy. Which is clearly a falsehood because I haven't seen you lift a finger since my return. This is Eli," he hissed, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he gestured to the young man hovering beside her desk. "He is the genius to crack our little proof and will be working with us to figure out why it didn't work. Now have I sufficiently answered all of your questions?"

"Yes. Thank you," she said, smiling brightly.

Rush shook his head, picked up the marker and gave them his back, studying the board once more. Belle waved a hand to the chair and offered Eli a seat.

"Sooo, how long have you two been married?" the boy asked Belle in a conspiratorial whisper.

Belle flushed, her brows disappearing somewhere into her hairline. "What? Oh, no…no, no, no, Eli…do you mind if I call you Eli?" she asked, not waiting for him to answer as she peeled the wrapper from a grape Jolly Rancher and popped it into her mouth. "Rush and I aren't married. We're just colleagues. I'm Belle, by the way. Don't even think about calling me Miss French. Rush is the only one who persists in doing that because he knows I hate it." She shifted things around on her desk and came up with a stack of printouts which she handed to Rush. "I've entered the new data into the program with our new calculations, updated the database and downloaded the information onto your flash."

He grunted in response as his eyes scanned the pages in his hand.

Belle rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair with a yawn. Eli focused his attention on the math prominently displayed on the whiteboard. "Seriously, who uses a whiteboard anymore? You have computers, like, everywhere around here."

Rush tuned him out. "The power flow was in the target range. Why wouldn't the address connect?"

"Wrong address?" Eli said, taking a guess.

Rush scoffed. "There is only one found in the Ancient database in Atlantis."

"With no further instructions?" the boy asked, grinning at Belle as she tapped commands out on the keyboard.

Rush turned to scowl at him. "No, but that's not the issue. It has to be your proof."

Eli pushed himself to his feet, his eyes widening. "My proof works. You know how I know that it does? Because you said so."

"You'll be sorry," Belle sing songed under her breath. When Eli raised a questioning brow, she elaborated. "You can't argue with him when he gets like this."

"Thank you, Miss French, but could you save the derogatory remarks for when we're done?" Rush snapped.

Colonel Young came back into the gate room and crowded into their work space. "Gentlemen…Belle. How's it coming?"

Rush snorted and grabbed the eraser, wiping down the whiteboard. Eli gaped incredulously, raising his hands to grab his hair. "Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?"

"Starting from the beginning."

Eli tried to grab the eraser. "Wait. Save! Save! Save! I can't…"

Belle pulled the boy away from her boss. "Eli, it's ok. I have a copy, look," she said, showing him the picture saved on her phone of the board before it had been erased. "I've already entered it into the database."

He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to listen to what the colonel was saying. "We'd like for you to join us for dinner in the officer's mess if Rush can spare you."

"Thank you, I'm starving," Eli replied, taking a step towards Young.

Rush turned to face the departing men, eraser still in hand. "We're quite close to a breakthrough, actually. I'd like Eli to keep working."

"Well, we've been here for six months. It can wait a few more hours," Young stated, leading the way to the mess.

Belle watched them go through narrowed eyes. She'd tried to like the colonel or at least tolerate him considering he was the commanding officer on the project, but there was just something about him that rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn't likely to admit that it was the colonel's disdainful attitude when it came to Dr. Rush. She sat back in her chair and took in the tension in Rush's lithe frame.

"When did you eat last?" she asked softly, intruding on his thoughts.

He began writing on the board, his marker flying across the clean surface as he wrote out the proof. "Not now, Miss French. The answer is here, I know it."

She rose from her seat and stepped behind him, resting her hand over the nape of his neck. He shivered violently, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back onto the back of her hand as she rubbed at the knot of tension. "You're overthinking it, Rush. Why don't you take a walk to clear your head?" she asked softly, refusing to acknowledge how much pleasure she took in easing away his pain.

"I can't. I have too much work to do."

"Work that isn't going to get done unless you clear your head. Fifteen minutes, go," she ordered, turning him away from the board and giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of the exit. "I'll fetch our dinner while you're gone so you can eat when you get back."

"Miss—"

"GO!"

X*X*X*X*X

Belle had just re-entered the gate room, a brown paper bag containing sandwiches and a few bottles of fruit juice clutched in her hand when the first blast rocked the base, the overhead fluorescents swinging violently. She raced up the stairs and set the bag down on her desk. "What was that? Is it the core, do you think?"

Riley shook his head. "No, we're under attack."

The colonel's voice came over the PA system confirming what Riley had just said and asking everyone to please proceed to their designated areas. This was no drill. She sat down at her desk and pulled the rucksack from beneath, shoving her laptop, as well as Rush's into it along with anything important cluttering her desk. Matt came in with Eli and left the younger man there with Rush before scurrying away to his assigned position.

"Dr. Rush?" Riley called. "I'm reading a dangerous energy spike in the core."

"Damnit," Rush cursed, stumbling into Belle's desk as more enemy fire pelted the base. "Are you ok?" he asked, taking in her wide eyes and trembling hands.

"I'm ok," she assured him, struggling with the zipper on the overfilled bag.

"Eli! Eli! I need your help," he yelled over the din of panicked voices from the base of the platform as he studied the screen over Riley's shoulder.

"With what?" Eli cried, his voice a high pitched squeal as he felt fear clench his gut.

"The ninth chevron."

"What?" the boy asked incredulously. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Look, it took us two years to find this site. The properties are unique. This may be our last chance," Rush implored, his gaze pleading with Eli to at least try. He ducked as another explosion rocked the base and mortar and bits of brick rained down on them. "If this bombardment continues, the radioactive core is going to go critical."

"You mean the planet…it's going to explode!?"

"YES!" both Belle and Rush intoned simultaneously.

Eli paced away several steps, pulling at his hair again as he wracked his brain for an answer. "Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok. If my math works…"

"We can't assume that…" Rush protested.

Eli interrupted frantically, "I said _if!_ Then if it works, then it's not a power supply issue, it's the gate address."

Belle bit down on her lip as she concentrated. "We've known the first eight symbols for years, the ninth has to be…"

"…the point of origin," Rush finished for her.

"Ok, you guys, that is just creepy," the boy said, his gaze swinging between the two scientists. "Anyway, so, what if we're not on the planet you're supposed to be dialing from?"

"But this is where we are," Rush insisted emphatically.

Eli refused to give up on his theory. "Ok, what if we are not supposed to be _here_?"

Riley's radio crackled, Young ordering him to dial the gate to evacuate their people to Earth.

Rush was still doubtful, but Eli pressed. "Ok, follow me…the symbols on the stargate are constellations as seen from Earth. That's what you said…"

"Yes, yes," Rush agreed, a note of impatience in his tone.

"Ok, so what if Earth is supposed to be the point of origin?"

Belle frowned, her quick mind beginning to see where the boy genius was going with this. But Rush beat her to their next point. "The only viable power source was here, light years away."

"What if that doesn't matter?" Eli asked. "What if it's the only combination that will work, like a code?"

Belle's eyes widened as the sheer brilliance of his idea smacked her in the face. "A code.

"A code?" Rush asked, glancing at the pair.

"Yeah."

"Stop the dialing sequence," Rush commanded.

But Riley didn't suspend his keystrokes on the keyboard. "I have my orders."

"Get out of my way!" Rush growled, shoving Riley aside and sitting down at the terminal. "We can't risk dialing Earth," he explained, punching in the new sequence with Eli's code.

Belle stood frozen, waiting with bated breath as the stargate whirled to life, locking in one chevron after another, sparking as it locked in on the eighth. Rush rose and stood at her back, so distracted, he curled his hands over her shoulders and pulled her back against him. If she hadn't been so out of sorts with the events transpiring all around her, she might have been able to appreciate it more. The ninth and final chevron locked and the event horizon exploded outward before settling into the puddle and all Belle could do was stare in disbelief. They'd finally done it…and there was no time to see what was on the other side.

Eli gaped at the shimmering puddle. "Now that is impressive."

Riley slipped back into the seat at his terminal. "Power's fluctuating at critical levels."

Young barreled into the gate room, followed closely by Greer. "What's everybody doing? I ordered an evacuation!" he bellowed, taking in the stunned faces at the base of the ramp.

Eli rushed forward as Colonel Young climbed the steps to the platform where the command center was located. "He, uh…He didn't dial Earth. It's the ninth chevron address."

"What?!" Young hissed, turning on Rush.

Rush pulled Belle behind him, protecting her from the colonel's wrath. This was in no way her fault and he didn't want her to present a convenient target for the colonel's displeasure. "The attack started a chain reaction in the planet's core. There's no way of stopping that and any blast could easily translate through an open wormhole. It's too dangerous to dial Earth," he said defiantly.

Young raked his hand down his face in vexation. "You could have dialed somewhere else—anywhere else."

Rush shrugged. "This could be our only chance."

Young pierced Riley with his gaze, commanding. "Shut it down!"

"You can't, it's too late," Rush insisted, locking his heated gaze with the colonel's.

"Riley!" Young called over Rush's shoulder.

"System's not responding, sir," the young sergeant replied.

"I need to get these people out of here."

Rush felt Belle slip her hand into his, emboldened by her support. "We have a way out," he said, gesturing to the open wormhole.

"We don't know what's on the other side! Damnit, Rush!" Young snarled.

Another blast rocked the base and Eli stepped forward. "Can't be worse than here, can it?"

Young's steely gaze bored into the scientist for a moment longer before he turned on his heel and descended the stairs. "Nobody move. Await further instructions."

Rush turned to Belle, still gripping her small hand. "It's going to be ok, Belle, I promise," he said earnestly, taking in her wide eyes, her lips pressed into a thin determined line. "Go, grab your bag. I promise I'll never laugh at you again for always having it near to hand."

"I hope you know I'm going to hold you to that!" she snarked over the din of enemy fire and sparking lights overhead.

Lieutenant Scott strode forward onto the platform and paused before the gate, a pack strapped to his back and his semi-automatic rifle clutched tightly in his hands. "Once I'm through, follow one at a time on a three count," he said, addressing the occupants of the gate room.

Belle thrust her pack at Rush and ran towards the steps. "Where the hell are you going?" he called after her.

She grabbed a heavy pack and tossed it up onto the ramp. "We need to take as many of the expedition supplies as possible." She tossed three more before Young grabbed her around the waist and shoved her towards the stairs.

"Get out of here, Belle! That's an order," he commanded. Belle nodded and ran up the steps to where Rush was waiting for her, her rucksack over his shoulder and one of the packs clutched in his hand. She grabbed a bag and slung the strap over her head, gripping another in her hand.

Rush took her other hand and pulled her swiftly towards the gate, admiring her bravery…although if the base collapsed around them he was sure to change his mind and call her stupid. Greer herded others behind them as they stepped through the puddle into the unknown.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush shook his head to clear it, his senses dulled by the flight through the wormhole only to have it all come rushing back to full awareness. He lifted his head from the soft surface he was lying on, his lips parting in surprise to find his little assistant sprawled beneath him. He pushed one of the packs off of them and took in the chaos in the room, his head having cleared enough to know they couldn't remain where they were with more and more people and boxes of supplies careening haphazardly through the open gate.

"Miss French," he said, his voice a ragged croak as he tapped his hand against her cheek. "Miss French?" She didn't respond. "Belle! Shit!" He moved off of her and grasped her under her arms, pulling her to the side of the room where Eli and Riley were sitting in dazed confusion.

"Oh my god, did she hit her head?" Eli asked, taking a position on her other side and taking her hand in his. She'd been so nice since he'd arrived at the base. He didn't take well to his new friend being injured. More than a dozen others had also been injured coming through the gate aside from those who had been injured by various explosions at the base. TJ had her hands full.

"Belle, talk to me," Rush commanded. He couldn't lose her now, not when their dreams were so close to becoming reality. She'd worked so hard, standing by him when no one else would, putting in more than her fair share…no, he wouldn't lose her. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, she was the one person he felt he _needed_ in his life. "Belle, please."

Belle groaned and then coughed, drawing much need oxygen into her lungs. "Rush…"

Rush breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her up into his arms, his fingers probing gently at the bruise forming near her temple. "Are you alright?"

A relieved smile crossed Eli's face. "Do you want me to get TJ to check you out? I can go get her," he offered.

Belle shook her head and groaned, her head spinning. "No, I think I'm okay. One of the packs hit me as we came through, but I'll be fine. Rush, stop fussing," she said, pushing his searching hands away.

"You lost consciousness, Miss French, you could have a concussion." he said sternly, making her hold still as he searched her eyes.

"How do you even know what to check for, Rush? It's not like that's covered in basic first aid," Eli snapped, still thinking TJ should check her out.

"Eli—"

"Enough, both of you. I'm okay," she assured them, pushing herself to her feet. "Any idea where we are?" She reached down and grabbed her rucksack, slinging it over her shoulder and leaving the rest of their bags with the soldiers dragging crates of supplies off to the side of the room.

Rush glared at her in exasperation and shook his head, wondering why she always had to be so stubborn. She'd changed when they'd begun working on the Icarus project, slowly gaining more confidence in her skills and asserting her opinion when she felt she was right. She'd lost some of the shyness that he'd found so charming, and now didn't hesitate to put him in his place. The passion she displayed for the project awakened feelings in him he'd thought had died with his wife. He'd thought when Gloria died that he'd never have anything more than his work, but Belle had changed all that. When she'd first taken the position as his teacher's assistant, he'd looked on her as just another perk, someone to make his life easier, but she'd wormed her way under his skin until she was a pleasant itch he didn't want to live without.

By the time he'd been offered the position on the Icarus project, he'd already been half in love with her and couldn't see going without her. He knew she'd never consider more than friendship with him, but having her with him, being close to her even just as colleagues was enough. Now he couldn't help but feel guilty for leading her blindly into danger.

"Rush, are you alright?" she asked when he didn't answer.

Her soft voice, so filled with concern, pulled him from his reverie and he offered her a reassuring smile, no more than a twitch of his lips, but he knew she'd interpret it as such. "Yes, Miss French, I'm fine. Eli, why don't you see if you can help TJ, hm?" he said, shooing the young man off to make himself useful.

Belle arched a brow. "That wasn't very nice."

"So? Who says I'm nice?" Belle stuck her tongue out at him, to which he chuckled and said, "Come on, let's see if we can't figure out where we are." He took her hand, curling his fingers around hers and led her around the perimeter of the room, taking no chance that they'd be separated.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle couldn't help the bubble of excitement that hummed through her blood, despite how wretched she felt. Her head ached like a thousand tiny hammers were trying to chip away pieces of her skull and she had to stop every now and then to let a wave of dizziness pass as they explored the corridors they found themselves in. Rush still hadn't released her hand, his fingers still entwined with hers as he led her forward, afraid if he let her go she might collapse. They'd been walking for maybe five minutes when they came to a large central open area, a closed door before them and corridors branching off in two directions.

She reached out, her fingers brushing against the symbols etched into the door. "Rush, look…these markings are in Ancient."

He pulled her back, his hand hovering over the panel he suspected would open the door. He had to bite back a chuckle at the pleasure etched on her face. Everyone else who'd come through the gate with them would have probably wanted to stay as far away from unknown doors as they possibly could. Not his Belle. She wanted to plunge blindly forward come what may. He palmed the panel and the door whooshed open.

Belle squealed in delight, rushing forward into the room and turning in a circle as she tried to survey her surroundings in their entirety. It looked to be some sort of lounge area with tables and plush chairs scattered throughout the room, more of the soft lighting they'd encountered on their trek down the corridors offering a muted glow from several sconces on the walls. He followed at a more leisurely pace, smirking slightly at her exuberance. He moved to the far wall, inspecting the panel there.

"Did you find something?" she asked, moving to his side. Her eyes widened and she jumped back when the wall slid open. She gasped, nearly collapsing against the iron railing before the window the wall had concealed.

"They appear to be blast shields," he said, never taking his eyes off the view before them.

"We're on a ship. The ninth chevron address was a ship? How is that even possible?" she murmured, her voice filled with wonder as the enormity of the ship stretched out before them, streaking through the vastness of space, the pinkish blue glow of the shields flickering brightly. It reminded her of the few times she's been fortunate enough to witness the aurora borealis while living in Maine. Gold had told her it wasn't often they experienced such a phenomenon that far from the top of the world and to appreciate the sight. She caressed the teacup pendant she wore on a thin gold chain around her neck and smiled fondly at the memory, realizing the gaping hole in her chest that had been there since his loss wasn't so ragged anymore.

She shifted the weight of her rucksack on her shoulder and glanced over her shoulder as Eli and Lieutenant Scott charged into the room. "Where have you two been?" Scott asked, only then noticing the view through the window. "How the hell did we end up on a ship?"

Eli stepped to Belle's right, his eyes alight with wonder.

Rush seemed mesmerized by what he was seeing. "The design is clearly ancient, in the truest sense of the word," he said softly. "Launched hundreds of thousands of years ago."

Scott moved closer, wondering if Rush had taken leave of his senses. "Dr. Rush?'

But the scientist continued, "Faster than light, yet not through hyperspace."

"Yeah…what are you doing?" Scott asked, his gaze flitting back and forth between Rush and Belle, her rapt attention focused on her mentor.

"Who knows how far it's traveled," Rush said, taking his eyes from the view to look down at his assistant.

Scott groaned, trying again. "Dr. Rush, I've got a lot of wounded we need to get home."

Belle's brow furrowed as a crunching noise reverberated through the room. "What was that?" she asked worriedly, her eyes searching through the dim lighting, seeking the source.

"It seems the life support system may be failing," Rush said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along behind him. "I suppose we should do something about that."

Scott answered TJ on his radio and headed back towards the gate room, but Eli fell into step behind Belle and Rush. "Um…do you have any idea how to fix this problem or even _where_?"

"We should be able to find the bridge or at the very least a central control room that will give us a basic understanding of the systems on this ship," Rush said absently, taking the left corridor that should lead them to the center of the ship…hopefully.

"But this is an Ancient ship!" Eli said. "How are we even supposed to know the life support system from…say the…um…navigation system."

Belle reached out and patted his shoulder. "Eli, calm down, dear. If this is indeed a ship built by the Ancients we should be able to figure out the basics."

He didn't look so sure, but he held his tongue. Rush led them into a darkened room, the lights coming on as they stepped over the threshold. The room was circular, benches scattered about and three consoles spaced evenly at the center. Belle approached one eagerly, intrigued when it sprang to life on its own, just as the lights had done before. Page after page of readouts of the various systems scrolled across the screen, all of it in Ancient.

"Well, at least we can read it," she said, smirking with satisfaction.

Rush and Eli nudged her out of the way and bent over the console, trying to take in the vast amount of data on the screen. "There."

"How do you know?" Eli asked, his voice holding an edge of uncertainty. "You only think it's the life support when it could be something else."

"I can read, Mr. Wallace," Rush growled.

Belle rolled her eyes as their argument continued. She moved to another console and studied the same data, hesitant to touch the various buttons on the side of the display.

Scott came in, closely followed by Greer. "What's going on in here?"

"The life support system is on, but for some reason, it's not working properly. I'm attempting to reset it," Rush said, casting the lieutenant a brief glance.

Eli faced Scott with a disgruntled expression. "He has no idea what he's doing!"

"I beg your pardon," Belle hissed, moving between Eli and Rush.

"Not now, Miss French," Rush groaned, switching to Ancient.

Belle snorted. "Who is he to say you don't know what you're doing? We've been here for what…ten minutes? I'd trust you before any of the others on board," she answered, slipping into the coarse dialect.

"English!" Scott yelled over their bickering.

Greer lifted his rifle and pointed it at Rush, his voice deadly calm. "Step away from that thing."

Eli's excited chatter went on as if Rush couldn't be shot at any moment. "That screen says that what you're doing is gonna overload it…"

"Eli, please!"

"Is that what it says or not?"

"You only think you know what it says in this screen," Rush said, his voice rising in irritation as he pointed to the console, "because I embedded a rudimentary version of the Ancient language into the game. _This_ is not a game!"

Scott rubbed his hand wearily over his brow, not knowing what to do. "Don't touch it, Rush."

Rush gnashed his teeth together, the force making the muscle tick dangerously in his jaw. "When the oxygen aboard this ship falls below critical level, it will become increasingly difficult to concentrate."

"And what you're doing could blow up the ship!" Eli yelled, panic edging into his tone.

Scott moved closer to the console to peer at the screen, not understanding a thing he was looking at. "Are you sure, Eli?"

"Back off now or I will shoot!" Greer shouted, "He already screwed us once. I'm not going to let him do it again!"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Belle snarled, having finally lost her temper. She stepped around Rush and glared at all of them, ignoring their stunned looks of surprise at her crude language. She'd heard worse on the base. "You lot need to get it together! Ronald, you are not shooting _anyone_ and the rest of you are going to get along or we're all going to suffer for it," she said, glaring at each of them in turn…just before she batted Rush's hand away from the console and pushed the button.

The life support system shuddered, went silent and then whirred back to life with a clanking sound, rumbling just as it had moments before. Rush sighed. "Well, I suppose that would have been too simple."

Greer lowered his weapon and cocked his head at Belle. "Need to do something about that temper of yours, Miss Belle."

"Yeah, well, it's been one of those days," she snarked back before turning a pointed look on Eli. "And as soon as we get settled, Eli, you're going to have a crash course in Ancient."

Scott and Greer left the control interface room to check in with TJ and explain the situation to the evacuees from Icarus base as Eli and Rush leaned over the console again while Belle moved to sit on one of the benches, stowing her bag beneath and out of the way. She rubbed her head, wincing as her fingertips skimmed over the knot on her temple. She pulled her glasses off her nose, noticing for the first time the minute crack in the left lens near the bottom of the frame. Well, it's not like she needed them anymore, she thought wryly. She stowed them away in her pocket, wondering why she was even attempting to remain hidden behind her disguise. The Icarus project had brought her so far away from Earth, not even Emma Swan, with her ability to find someone, would ever be able to locate her. She'd begun acting more like herself instead of the persona she'd adopted and now with the threat of death hanging over her head, she knew she couldn't allow herself to hide any longer. She just wondered how Rush would adapt to the new…old…her.

Belle was pulled out of her thoughts by a digital display popping up in the center of the room and she pulled herself to her feet to get a closer look. "Wow," she breathed, studying the display. "It's a star map. Look, that's the Milky Way."

Rush leaned on the console, his chin propped on his hand as he looked at the screen. "I believe it's a visual log of the ship's journey," he murmured quietly.

Eli moved to stand next to Belle and pointed to the screen. "So, this is where we are now?"  
>Rush shook his head. "No, that's where the ship originally embarked from."<p>

"Earth," the boy mumbled.

A line began bouncing from point to point on the map. "It's leaving the galaxy."

"It did, a long time ago," Rush confirmed.

A small smile of wonder lit Belle's face as she tried to wrap her mind around it all. "That was Pegasus. Those points aren't stars…"

"No, they're galaxies," Eli finished for her, turning to look back at Rush. "Rush, where the hell are we?"

"Several billion light years from home."

X*X*X*X*X

_Back on Earth…_

General O'Neil stood before the digital display in the center of headquarters and greeted Colonel Carter, the commander of the Hammond, relieved that her ship had evaded destruction at the hands of the Lucian Alliance when they'd mounted their attack on Icarus.

"General," she began, "we barely got away. The planet was destroyed. We managed to beam most of our people off the surface before jumping to hyperspace. We also believe that the enemy forces were destroyed. Any word on how they gained intel on our base?"

O'Neil shook his head. "No. What about casualties?"

Carter looked grim, a frown tugging at the woman's lips. "Twelve. Eighty plus MIA. The bunker shielding technology prevented us from beaming out anyone inside. How many people made it through the gate to Earth?"

"None."

Carter gaped in disbelief. "None? Our sensors indicated that the stargate was active for a full six minutes before the core went critical."

O'Neil sighed wearily, just as baffled as the commander of the Hammond. "Well, they didn't come through here."

"Then where'd they go?"


	2. Air Part 2

Chapter Two: Air Part 2

Belle sank wearily to the padded bench in the compartment Rush had led her to and eyed the silver case he set beside her. The pounding in her head was steadily growing worse and she couldn't imagine why he'd dragged her from the control interface room to show her a…briefcase. She reached up to push her glasses up on her nose, realizing too late that they were no longer there. That was going to take some getting used to. Just as he would, since he'd broken his in the rush through the gate as well. _I could be doing something productive_, she thought irritably. She could be helping Eli go over the schematics of the ship or actually be searching the ship with one of the teams Lieutenant Scott had put together instead of some secret mission Rush had cooked up. Young wasn't going to be at all happy if…when…he woke up. He'd been grievously injured when he'd come flying through the stargate…literally…suffering a head wound. He was still unconscious.

Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. "So…what's in the box?" she asked, one perfectly arched brow rising querulously.

Rush knelt before the bench, his hands on the clasps, yet he hesitated, refusing to meet her gaze. "Miss French, i…I want to apologize."

Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she regarded him silently. It wasn't like him to want to apologize for _anything_. He wasn't a man to make careless mistakes, he didn't take risks and most of his decisions were well thought out to the very last detail. He left no margin for error, so she was just a bit concerned that he felt the need to apologize…especially to her. "Why?"

"For getting you into this mess," he said with a sigh of disgust. "I never intended for us to end up in such dire straits. Yes, I had wanted us to be able to join the away team when we successfully connected with the ninth chevron address, but under controlled circumstances. I never meant to put you in danger."

Belle laid her hand over his where it rested on the case, her thumb brushing gently over his knuckles. He finally lifted his sable gaze to hers and she was taken aback by the genuine remorse in his eyes. "Rush, you have nothing to apologize for. I choose my own fate; I always have. I _chose_ to go with you to Icarus. It's not like you bound and gagged me and threw me into the back of a van and made me board that ship. Although it did cross my mind that you might have if I'd refused," she deadpanned, trying to lighten the mood with a bit of levity.

"Miss—"

She pressed a finger to his lips to shush him. "Let me finish," she said softly. "I don't have anything or anyone left on Earth, Rush. All I have is my work and now I have the greatest adventure imaginable on the path before me…"

"…if we don't all die," he mumbled under his breath.

"I have every confidence that you will solve this problem. You didn't create the situation that brought us here, but I can't say I'm sorry to be here. It was a risk, and you took it. We'll get through this, so stop apologizing when there's no need."

Rush sat back on his heels and stared at her in awe, a slight smile curving his lips. She was the most remarkable woman he'd ever had the great fortune to meet. No doubt, she'd follow him into the fires of hell if he asked it of her. More than half of the evacuees from Icarus were a hare's breath away from demanding his head and yet his assistant, his dearest friend, was ready to proceed with the mission as if it were another day at the office.

He shook his head to clear it, jerking himself back to the present and the more pressing issues before him. "I sincerely hope you don't change your mind."

Belle waved a dismissive hand and tapped her short nails on the top of the box. "So, are we going to sit here bonding over our precarious position or are you going to tell me what's in the box?"

Instead of answering, he unfastened the clasp and lifted the lid, revealing the contents. Inside were four polished cobalt stones and a square device rimmed in silver with a switch on the side. "These are Ancient communication stones. They work over vast distances in real time."

She traced a fingertip over the device and the five circles engraved into the surface. "We can talk to people on Earth?"

"Yes. You physically take control of an individual at the other end. I brought these with us in the event we ended up somewhere out of range of normal communication," he explained, removing the device from the metal case and setting it on the bench beside her.

Her eyes widened and her nose crinkled as she winced. "You're going to use them aren't you?" she asked, not sure if she was convinced this was a good idea.

"Someone has to inform General O'Neil of our situation. He is no doubt wondering what has become of us."

She grabbed his wrist as he lifted a stone from the case. "Rush, what if you get stuck in whoever's body it is you just happen to pop into? Have you ever tried this before?"

Rush couldn't help but find himself pleased at her concern. "Well, no, not exactly, but the premise is simple. The device can be disconnected at either end and I'll return here to my own body. Not to worry, Miss French."

Belle made a little noise of displeasure, but she released his hand and watched avidly as he turned the device on and settled on the bench with it between them. "Rush—"

He held a finger to his lips to silence her and placed the stone on the lighted surface, his eyes closing and his face slipping into a blank mask. Belle rose to her feet, pulling a Jolly Rancher from her pocket and peeling off the wrapper as she began to pace, her eyes never leaving his face. She jumped when his eyes opened and he frowned at her.

"Miss French?" he asked.

Belle's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He sounded like Rush, but his voice was off, his brogue seemingly gone and with a nasal inflection she wasn't certain she liked at all. There was also an open quality to the softening of his features, Rush's usually guarded expression falling away. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Pierce," he said, his eyes taking in the small room with the two padded benches and a small table and chairs.

"Christopher?" she asked, groaning when he nodded. Christopher Pierce was a middle-aged astrophysicist under O'Neil's command that should have been fired long ago for sexual harassment, having made more than one pass at Belle the few times she had accompanied Rush to the Pentagon to meet with the general. He wasn't well liked by the female personnel of the SGC but the man was brilliant in his field. And she wasn't comfortable being stuck in a room with him, despite the fact that he was occupying Rush's body.

"I'm relieved to see you didn't perish in the explosion," he said, his face twisting into a leer…an expression she'd wager her entire bag of Jolly Ranchers on that she'd never see on Rush's face were he in his own body. A wolfish smile burgeoned on his face as he noted that they were alone in the room. "Be a waste of prime—"

"I'd stop right there if I were you," she warned, her hands balling into fists at her sides as she glared at him.

He backed off, holding his hands out before him as he rose to his feet and stretched. "So what happened to you? Are there any more survivors?"

Belle inched her way around him, putting her back to the door and praying Rush would hurry back. "Young, though he's injured, most of his team, and a good number of the scientists and engineers, but I don't know if Lieutenant Scott has an actual head count at present."

"So where are we?" he asked, advancing on her slowly.

She pressed her back into the door, keeping her eyes trained on him as she explained what had happened on Icarus, their flight through the gate and the problem they were having with the life support system. She was filling him in on Colonel Young's injuries when he lunged, his hands snaking around her waist and pressing her farther into the door, diving in to claim her lips. Her mouth opened in horror, prepared to scream, her hand fumbling along the wall in desperation to find the door lock. It was like one of her naughty dreams gone bad. For all intents and purposes, this _was_ Rush…physically, yet it wasn't. It was his hands groping her, his lips pressed to hers, his tongue invading her mouth, yet it wasn't and it was all wrong. It reminded her of that movie she'd watched with Emma and Red about the pod people and she couldn't help the violent shudder of revulsion that rippled through her.

Belle pushed against his chest, but his arms were like steel bands, trapping her in his unwanted embrace. His legs trapped hers in a way where she couldn't bring her knee up, though she really didn't want to hurt Rush, but she would have if she could have managed the maneuver. She turned her head to the side, yet he wasn't deterred, his lips trailing along her jaw to nip and suckle at the flesh beneath her ear. She fisted her hands in his hair, pulling with her meager strength in hopes the pain would force him to release her.

"Come on, Belle, I know you've always wanted me," came the nasal reply in Rush's voice. She felt sick. "Just one kiss," he said, sliding his hands under her shirt to cup her lace-covered breast.

"You bloody pervert!" she shrieked as his mouth came down on hers again as she squirmed to get loose.

He stiffened against her, his head jerking back and his eyes flaring wide in stunned disbelief. "Miss French!" he gasped, removing the hand from her breast as if he'd been burned.

Belle's eyes narrowed, searching his eyes. "Rush?"

"So help me, I'll kill the bastard," he roared as her hands released the painful grip on his hair, allowing him to step back. "Of all the personnel available to monitor the stones, it had to be Pierce!"

She sagged back against the door in relief, straightening her clothes as she tried to pull in huge lungfuls of air to calm herself. "H-How'd it g-go?" she asked, her voice shaky from the ordeal.

Rush lifted a hand to her, drawing it back before he could touch her. He doubted she'd appreciate his touch after what she'd had to endure, no matter how badly he wanted to comfort her. He'd hurried with his debriefing in order to return to her as quickly as possible when he'd realized who was occupying his body, the man's reputation as a lech was well-known. Returning to find his body pressed to Belle's, his hands and lips on her pale flesh…every one of his fantasies come to life. He couldn't suppress the shiver that slid up his spine. It was quickly replaced by rage.

"How can you ask, when I come back to find…" He ran a hand roughly through his hair, tugging a few strands out. "I'm so sorry, Miss French."

Belle sat down on the bench and leaned her head back against the bulkhead. "You think you're the first man I've had to fend off," she asked, emitting a sharp mirthless laugh, thinking about the man her father had betrothed her to what seemed like eons ago. "You're not."

"I'll deal with Pierce personally, I assure you," he mumbled, pacing back to the stones and closing the device away in its case. He turned back to her, relieved that she looked calmer. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Rush, I'm fine," she replied, offering him a weak smile. It could have been so much worse, and she was thankful Rush wasn't a large man, not much taller than herself and almost equally matched in strength. If Pierce had been occupying any other body than that of the one man she craved, she would have done some serious damage. It was her reluctance to harm Rush that had stayed her hand. "You know Pierce. Thinks he's Casanova and every woman should thank their lucky stars because of his interest in them. Although it would be well advised to speak to O'Neil about this."

Rush gaped at her. "How can you be so calm about this? He attacked you…in _my_ body no less!" he hissed furiously.

Belle leveled him with her direct stare, closing off and changing the subject. "Did you see O'Neil?"

He sighed heavily and grasped the case in his hand, palming the door lock as she fell into step with him. He knew she wouldn't talk about the incident any further now that she had that defiant look she wore so well. "I debriefed him on what happened, reported the extent of the Colonel's injuries and assured him that we had everything under control."

"So you lied," she retorted dryly as she walked beside him back towards the control interface room.

"I beg your pardon? I did _not_ lie."

"Seriously, Rush? This situation is so far out of our control it's staggering. You lied. Now what are we to do about it?"

X*X*X*X*X

Belle leaned her forearms on the railing where she stood on the walkway overlooking the gate room as Rush addressed the various military, scientists and civilians gathered there to hear what he had to say. Frankly, things did not look good at the moment. With Colonel Young incapacitated due to his injuries, General O'Neil had placed Rush in charge, though that announcement had been met with nothing less than moderate hostility. Many doubted his claim, but Belle hadn't felt as if he were lying when he'd given her the news moments before addressing the assemblage. Rush was the senior scientist on board and in light of his knowledge and experience she didn't find it that hard to believe that the general would put him in a position of authority.

Senator Armstrong was the first to contest him, but the poor man looked as if he were about to collapse. Before she could complete the thought, he did indeed collapse and TJ had to rush to his side to tend him while Chloe hovered over him worriedly. As much as she disliked the Colonel, she secretly hoped he would regain his strength soon. She couldn't see this position as healthy for Rush, not when there were so many opposed to his leadership. Camille Wray, the human resources administrator…why was she even here, Belle groaned…looked to be the biggest source of contention. She didn't know the woman well, but she wasn't impressed, finding her to be a busy body that tended to stick her nose where it was neither wanted nor needed.

It was escalating into something rather ugly when Lieutenant Scott finally stepped forward, calling for order. "Everyone, calm down! Now, the fact is Colonel Young put me in charge, and I expect all SG personnel to follow my orders. As for the rest of you," he said, pausing for effect. "You get out of line, we _will_ lock you down. Now, Dr. Rush is right about a couple things. First off, we all have to work together, and second of all, we don't all have to stay here. So, let's move out." He leveled them all with a serious look when they remained rooted to the spot. "Go on, move. It's okay."

Belle felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders as the crowd began to slowly make their way from the gate room to seek out living quarters Eli had located in the ship's schematics earlier. She moved down the stairs to stand behind Rush as Scott spoke quietly to several of his soldiers across the room.

"Well, that could have gone better," she said wryly as she regarded him. He was tense, sullen and moreover…disappointed. "You certainly didn't win over any new friends."

Rush fought off a shiver as her hand slipped under his hair to rub gently at his nape. "No, I suppose not, Miss French," he replied. "But this isn't a popularity contest. I'm not interested in being liked so long as they work with us."

Belle felt a smile tug at her lips that he'd said _us_ and not _I._ She knew what it must have cost him to do that, yet lately she'd found him including her more and more. "Then _we_ shall deal with it."

Scott stopped him as they turned to head back to the control interface room. "Dr. Rush, I think we need you, so I've got your back for now. But if I were you, I would find some way to dial that gate back to Earth."

Belle tugged on his sleeve, urging him to follow and grinned. "See, winning friends isn't that hard."

Rush snorted and followed where she led.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush set his radio down on the console and rubbed absently at his temples, his head pounding. At least he could have a few moments of silence in the deserted control room, everyone having some task they'd been assigned. He closed his tired eyes only to yank them open immediately, unable to get the sight of Belle flushed and panting in his arms, out of his head. He let his head drop against the console and groaned, the sound loud in the silent room. If only she'd want him that way, he thought miserably. Her skin had felt like the finest silk beneath his hands, even if it had only been for a brief moment. She'd been stiff and struggling and he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have her soft and pliant and begging for his touch.

His hands dropped to his lap, adjusting the seam of his jeans to relieve the pressure in his building erection. He had to stop thinking about his little assistant that way. It didn't matter how much he wanted…loved…her. She was his assistant, his employee, and yes, he admitted, his friend. She was off limits. He had work to do and didn't have time to indulge in daydreams of what would never be.

As if his wayward thoughts had conjured her, she came breezing into the room, two tin mugs clasped tightly in her hands. He tried to focus on the screen on the console, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from watching her from the corner of his eye. She sat down on the bench behind him, depriving him of the view. He could only hear her rummaging around in that ever present rucksack she insisted on carting around with her. He swung around to watch her, brows raised.

"You have a bottle of Advil in there?" he asked, surprised. Well, why not? She had every other bloody thing imaginable in that bag.

"Of course. Who packs without including a bottle of pain relievers?" she said, shaking two out of the bottle and dropping them into his outstretched hand before handing him the steaming cup. It was then that the heady aroma of one hundred percent Columbian loveliness assailed his nose and he couldn't bite back the moan of pleasure that bubbled from his lips.

"Ohhhh, Miss French, is that what I think it is?" he asked, praying that he was correct in his assumption.

Belle captured her lower lip between her teeth, smiling shyly up at him as she handed him the cup. "I thought it might help."

He sipped at the strong black coffee and swallowed the Advil, once again thanking whatever deity had led his precious little assistant to him so many years ago. "Wherever did you get coffee? Was it packed away in the supplies?"

She shook her head, shifting her gaze to the console. "No, unfortunately. Most of the foodstuffs didn't make it on board. We were left with the powdered gruel stuff and some protein bars. And that's not going to last us long. This was one of the little packets of instant I keep in my bag for emergencies. I maybe have four left," she said, scrunching her face up apologetically. "So I used some of my water rations to mix it and borrowed a little torch from Brody to heat it."

"Thank you," he said, offering her his heartfelt thanks.

Belle grinned cheekily over her shoulder and sipped at the water in her own cup, swallowing down two of the Advil and wishing the water were a cup of Earl Grey. "What would you do without me?"

"You wouldn't happen to have a pack of cigarettes in that magic bag of yours, would you?" he teased, though right now he'd like nothing more than a cigarette to savor with his coffee.

She snorted. "And what would you do if I did? Step outside to have a smoke? Good luck with that one." Her smile faltered just a bit at the open tenderness of his gaze and she forced her eyes to focus on the screen. She wouldn't allow herself to see something that wasn't there. She was his friend. There was nothing more to be read into that look, she told herself. "So, um…what new discoveries have you come across in my absence, hm?"

He leaned forward on his stool, his shoulder brushing hers as he pointed to the screen, but before he could answer, Eli and Scott strolled into the control room. Rush rose and stepped around Belle, putting himself between Belle and the men. "What's that?" he asked, his eyes trained on the metal sphere hovering in the air at eye level.

Eli fiddled with the remote in his hands and the sphere circled around Rush to hover in front of Belle. "Flying camera ball. I'm calling it a Kino…y'know after the Russian—"

Scott groaned, already having heard his excited speech once before. "Don't ask."

Rush stared at the Kino, inspecting it. "That's marvelous."

Eli pushed another button and grinned at Belle. "It comes with a remote," he said, showing her the small screen on the handheld device. "I thought we could use it to look around."

Scott stepped behind Belle to peer at the console. "What do you have?"

Rush squeezed between them, the lieutenant standing just a bit too close to Belle. "Well, it's not so good, really. The processing nodes are scrubbers, responsible for cleaning CO2 from the air. Here, here and here," he said, pointing to various locations on the schematic. "It's indicating malfunction and others are failing."

Scott, located the closest one and called Greer on the radio to meet him in the gate room, Eli following with the Kino. They passed TJ in the corridor as she came into the room. "Dr. Rush? Colonel Young wants to see you," she said, offering Belle a weary smile.

"And I'm sure when I don't have more pressing matters to attend to, I will run right down to see him," Rush said, concentrating on the console.

"How is he?" Belle asked, worried over her friend's haggard appearance.

TJ shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I guess. He's regained consciousness and the paralysis in his legs is slowly leaving him. The next hour or so will give me more to go on. I'll be able to see if he's going to be permanently damaged or if he's going to get stronger."

Rush followed the Kino footage that appeared on his screen, wishing Eli had a firmer grasp on the camera's workings so it would stop whirling about. "Lieutenant, there should be a kind of grate covering the node."

Greer's voice came back after a moment. "Yeah, we found it."

"What do you see?"

Scott's voice was strained over the walkie. "A problem. We see a very big problem."

Finally, the Kino swung to the node and zoomed in on it…and the nasty black sticky gunk it was covered in. His radio crackled, Park and Kane on the other end reporting another door they'd found that would be inaccessible. Belle lifted her radio from her belt and confirmed that she'd marked it off and to keep searching. "Go, Rush, I've got this. It's more important that you tend to the life support issue," she said, urging him to go. "You can't do everything at once."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush crossed his arms over his chest and watched grimly as Brody hunched down and tested the gunk covering the node. The engineer shook his head, confirming their worst fears. "Alkaline."

TJ nodded. "Everyone's heart rates are elevated, people are reporting headaches. It has to be."

"What?" Scott asked.

Brody rose to his feet. "The used-up residue of whatever magic compound the Ancients used to scrub CO2 from the air."

Scott groaned, pacing in agitation. "So, now we have two big problems relating to the life support."

"Our first priority must be to seal off any of the leaks," Rush pressed. "If we can manage that, then we can maybe buy ourselves a day or so before the buildup of CO2…kills us."

Scott winced, rubbing at the ache in the back of his neck. "As it stands, how much time do we have?"

"I don't know."

Brody shrugged. "Couple of hours at most."

"Huh. Awesome!" Eli snarked from where he was sitting at the base of the stairs in the gate room.

Rush sighed. "Brody, there was some medical-grade soda lime in the supply manifest?"

Dr. Palmer, the blonde geologist, shook her head negatively. "It never made it."

"That's a pity," Rush said, removing his notepad from the pocket of his waistcoat. He hunched down in front of the node and prodded the steaming gunk with the tip of his pencil. "Well, in a ship this old, there's bound to be systems past their designed life."

Scott shifted uncomfortably, feeling Chloe's penetrating gaze on him. "Okay, let's say we find the leaks. Can you fix this?"

Rush huffed a short mirthless laugh. "I doubt this stuff can be cooked off," he said, frowning down at the thick residue now sticking to his ruined pencil. "Perhaps if there were stores of this substance in a clean form, or something else capable of CO2 sequestration, calcium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, then yes, _if_."

"Okay, well, that's not going to matter because you're going to get the gate dialed back to Earth before this becomes an issue, Rush, right?"

Rush regained his feet and turned to the young officer. "Lieutenant…that's the kind of thing you're taught to say in officer training, presumably for the benefit of those who don't know any better," he said quietly.

Scott moved within inches of the doctor, jaw clenched as he tried to reign in his temper. He refused to lose it in front of the Senator's daughter, not wanting his behavior to reflect badly on himself or his team. The heat went out of him and he uttered the only word he could find appropriate for the situation. "Please."

Rush regarded him through narrowed eyes, disgusted that everyone put so little faith in him. "What makes you think I won't try?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and left the gate room.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the bulkhead, pulling her feet up onto the bench to wrap her arms around her knees as she sat next to Rush in the control interface room. One of the Kino searches had found a shuttle, two according to Rush, each in their own separate docking sleeves. One was intact. The other, unfortunately was not. There was a gaping hole where the left viewing window used to be and though the ships shields prevented it from venting the atmosphere, it was not one hundred percent effective. To make matters worse, the bay door was defective and couldn't be closed. Franklin was trying to repair it manually, but hadn't met with much success. There was another door on the rear of the shuttle, but it could only be closed from the inside.

Everyone was quiet, each individual trying to come to terms with the newest dilemma. Except Eli. "My head is pounding," he said into the Kino. "Heartbeat has accelerated. It's getting harder and harder to breathe." His voice dropped dramatically. "As our very lives are being vented out into space."

If the situation hadn't been so precarious, Belle would have been hard pressed to laugh. Scott reached for the remote to take it away from him, but Eli danced out of reach. "That is going to get very old very fast," The young lieutenant admonished.

The Kino hovered near his shoulder as Eli's gaze flitted back and forth between the occupants gathered in the room. "This needs to be documented."

"No one's going to see that," Scott said irritably.

"How do you know? We made it here. Someone else could, too. If we die, maybe this can help them find out what happened to us."

Rush leaned forward, resting his palms against his knees. "Yeah, well we're not dead yet," he snapped. "We don't have a choice. Someone is going to have to go in there and close that door."

Belle's eyes flew open as an idea occurred to her. "What if we pilot a Kino into the shuttle and drop it down onto the door switch? Is that possible?"

Rush whipped his head around to stare at her in stunned surprise, but Eli quickly shot that idea down. "That won't work. The Kinos are designed to fly at a certain height. I've already tried to reprogram one, but it's resistant to everything I've tried. The only way it will fly lower is if it's weighed down with something. Even if I were able to do that, there's no way I could get it to then press down on the switch."

Rush nudged her gently with his shoulder. "It was still a good idea."

Eli turned back to his Kino. "I'm starting to have slightly blurred…"

"Eli!" Scott snapped.

"What?"

Scott crossed his arms over his chest and turned back to Rush. "So how are we going to decide who?"

"I assume we're not going to get any volunteers," the doctor said dryly.

Chloe paced around one of the consoles. "What's another day going to buy us?"

"Time…to find a way to survive," he said quietly, holding out his hand to TJ. "May I see the list?"

TJ passed him the clipboard she'd been holding to her chest. "I marked the names of anyone injured."

Rush carefully perused the list. "We have to find out people's skills, background, experience…"

"Rush…" Belle said, casting him a pained look.

"It doesn't take any special skills to die from asphyxiation!" the lieutenant yelled angrily.

Rush pushed himself up from the bench. "Look, what I'm saying is it shouldn't be someone with potentially valuable knowledge or abilities we might need to help us survive beyond this."

A gasp of horror slipped past Chloe's parted lips. "Are you really suggesting what I think…"

Scott interrupted before she could finish the thought. "Half the people on this ship already want to kill you."

"I don't care."

Chloe stared at him, wondering what had happened in his life to make him so cold and unfeeling. "You can't ask someone to sacrifice themselves…period."

He returned her pointed glare. "Politicians ask military personnel to sacrifice themselves for the good of others all the time. If someone doesn't go in there and close that door, we're all gonna die…period."

X*X*X*X*X

"Miss French, why don't you sit down? You look like you're about to collapse," Rush said, frowning at his assistant where she was slumped dejectedly against the console.

Belle pulled the clipboard out of his hands, taking note of his scribblings next to some of the names. "No, we have work to do," she protested. "Volker? Seriously, Rush? He's an astrophysicist." She snorted when she noticed there were three lines drawn through her own name. "Why is my name marked off? There are plenty others more qualified to be here than me."

"You're worth more than three Volkers any day of the week, Miss French, as I'm sure you are well aware," he deadpanned, arching a brow at her.

She snorted, setting the clipboard to the side of the console and rubbing at the headache the Advil had seemingly had no effect on. "Regardless of what _you_ think, we can't ask anyone to sacrifice themselves, Rush."

"If I can get the door override working," Eli said as he entered various keystrokes into the console he hovered over across the room, "we won't have to ask anyone to do it."

"Ah, the optimism of youth," Rush snarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Belle cut him a scathing glare. "Don't look at me like that, Miss French. We have to be realistic. It's one or all of us."

"What if we jammed something under the door long enough to give the person inside time to get out?"

Eli answered without looking up. "Franklin and Greer already tried that. We don't have anything strong enough."

"How about welding something over the door?" she asked despite the fact that she knew she was grasping at straws.

Rush shook his head sadly. "If we could find something suitable, we would still run out of air before the repair could be made. Our only option is for someone to close it from the inside."

"Rush—"

"Greer, this is Scott, come in," came the lieutenant's voice over the radio clipped to Belle's waist. The radio was still tuned to the channel she'd used earlier to talk with the master sergeant. "Greer? Greer, do you read? Senator Armstrong is missing. He may be headed your way."

The senator was in terrible shape, bleeding internally from the wounds he'd sustained in the attack on the base. Belle's fingers dug painfully into Rush's arm as she turned to him, her eyes wide with horror. "Rush, you don't think Chloe told her father about—"

"If I were to hazard a guess, then yes, it would seem so," he said, frowning down at the radio in her hand.

Greer finally answered and confirmed their suspicions. "He's here. He's got a gun." He left the link open and his voice crackled through the room. "I don't want to shoot you," he said softly, Belle recognizing that tone as the one he used when trying to reason with someone. "And I don't think you want to shoot me."

Senator Armstrong could be heard, his usually commanding tone weak, his breathing labored. "Get out of the way."

Franklin's voice came as if from a distance. "Just give me a little more time. Let me try and fix this."

Belle twisted her hands in the fabric of Rush's waistcoat. "He's not going to be able to fix it, is he?"

Rush shook his head and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her trembling form closer to offer support and comfort.

Eli clicked on his own radio. "Guys, I'm not seeing any change. Whatever you just tried it's not working!"

Rush looked over at Eli. "The problem's obviously mechanical."

Belle lifted her gaze to his, willing the tears threatening not to spill over her lashes. "Can't you try?"

"We've tried everything we can to fix that door, Belle. There's nothing more we can do," Rush said somberly, feeling her pain as if it were his own. He wasn't the heartless monster they all thought he was. He didn't want to sacrifice _anyone_, yet it was necessary to save everyone else on board.

They stared down at the console as the interior camera on the shuttle showed the senator stagger into the pilot's seat and sit down. He pressed the button and the bay door shut with a resounding clang as Chloe and Scott's voices erupted over the radio.

"Dad! No, wait!" she cried, pounding on the door. "Dad, no! No! No! No! Open the door! Open the door, please!"

Franklin cried, "I can't."

Greer explained to Scott hoping to head off the other man's furious speech. "He was dead on his feet."

"Eli! Eli, please, not him!" Chloe sobbed, pleading with Eli over the radio.

Rush pressed Belle's head tightly to his chest, covering her ears with his hands so she wouldn't hear anymore. Eli's face scrunched up in anguish as he lifted his radio closer to his mouth. "There's…There's nothing I can do from here."

Belle sobbed quietly in his arms, her entire body shaking gently as he rubbed a callused hand over her back. He reached over and pressed several buttons, banishing the image of the senator's expired form in the shuttle. He pried the radio from her cold fingers and switched it off, unable to bear the sound of the girl's grief on the other end. "Well, at least he bought us a day."

Belle pushed roughly out of his arms, her eyes shooting icy blue daggers at him. "How can you say that!?"

"Miss French—"

Whatever he'd been about to say was abruptly cut off as Chloe raced into the room and barreled into him, putting all the weight of her thin frame into it, knocking him back to sprawl atop one of the benches as she pummeled him with her fists. Rush raised his arms over his head, trying to block her blows, refusing to strike back and take the risk of hurting the distraught girl.

"You! You did this!" she shrieked, pounding into him with all the pent up rage and pain she felt, wanting to share it with the one she blamed. "You killed him! You've killed all of us!"

Scott rushed in behind her, grabbing her around the waist, trying to pull her off the doctor. "Chloe, stop!" he said, slipping an arm across her chest and pinning one of her arms. "A little help here!" TJ darted forward to grab the girl's flailing free arm as Rush slowly rose to his feet, staring at her with sorrow in his dark eyes.

Chloe still struggled against Scott and TJ as they held her tightly. "Get away from me...all of you!"

Belle closed the distance between them, taking the girl's hand in hers and giving it a comforting squeeze, but Scott was reluctant to let go of her. "Chloe, please. You have to stop. You think you're the only one who's ever lost someone they loved? He chose his own fate. You think he did this for us? For any of us?"

"It's his fault," Chloe hissed, pointing a finger at Rush. "My father didn't have a choice."

"Yes he did!" Belle said emphatically. "He found out what was going on and saw this as the only way he could save you…_you_, Chloe. He didn't do this for us, he did it for _you_! Don't disrespect his choice by casting blame on someone else."

Chloe stared back at her through narrowed eyes. "Oh please," she sneered. "You will do or say anything to defend your precious Dr. Rush. He's got you brainwashed into going along with anything he says no matter who gets stepped on and trampled in the process."

Belle shook her head in denial. "Rush has faults, just as much as anyone and when he's wrong, which is more often than you would think, I will be the first one to tell him. This isn't about him. This is what your father _chose _to do. He was hurt…badly…and he saw this as his last great act of love for his only daughter." Tears fell over her lashes as her mind flashed back to another sacrifice, one that had left her raw and bleeding. She knew exactly how the girl was feeling. "At least you have friends here who care about you, who will support you and care for you through your grief. I didn't have _anyone_."

Her lower lip trembled as her mouth fell open, realizing what she'd said, what she'd revealed and she quickly turned, taking in the stunned expression on Rush's face. Without another word, she ran from the control room, leaving behind a stunned silence at her outburst. She needed to be alone, she needed space to pull her ragged emotions back under her firm control and bury the past back in the that little corner of her mind where it couldn't hurt her anymore. Where it belonged.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle stared out the great long window on the observation deck, her legs dangling over the edge of the floor, her arms propped on the metal railing as she took in the beauty of the ship moving through FTL. Her tears had dried long ago, yet she didn't have the will to pull herself up from her perch and drag herself back to the control room. Her mind whispered that she had work to do, that Rush needed her by his side to muddle through the vast amount of data they needed to acquaint themselves with, but her heart screamed that she wasn't ready. It needed time, despite the fact that she had little of that to spare.

She caressed the tea cup pendant that hung about her neck, the same charm Gold had given her when he'd returned from Neverland, promising she'd never have to worry about losing her memories of them again. When she'd run from Storybrooke after he'd sacrificed himself to save them all, she'd been so tempted to take it off, to forget the pain, the heartbreak, the utter despair of his loss, but she couldn't bear the thought of becoming Lacey again. He wouldn't have wanted that. He loved _her_…Belle, so Belle she would be. Broken, lost and alone. But she wasn't alone anymore. She had Nicholas and she had her work and her work had led to her new friends, TJ, Greer and Eli. The circle of life that kept turning and leading her forward into a new life.

_Magic can do much, dearie, but it can't bring back the dead._ She'd heard that so much over the years it would be something she'd always remember. He'd never be able to come back to her, she knew that and no amount of praying or wishing would make it so. Now she was a billion light years from home, on the opposite side of the universe. She couldn't go back if she wanted to…which she didn't. There was nothing left for her on Earth and she needed to stop dwelling on the pain she found whenever his memory surfaced. She would always love Gold, he'd always hold her heart, but one day she hoped she would find way to bring forth his memory without the constant debilitating pain.

She thought of the poor girl she'd left in the control room. Chloe's father had made the same kind of sacrifice and she couldn't help but think of the father she'd left in Storybrooke. Somehow she couldn't imagine Maurice French making the same sacrifice for her. He hadn't tried to stop her from leaving when she'd made her deal with Rumpelstiltskin and he'd turned his back on her when she'd fallen in love and decided to stay with the Dark One. No she couldn't see him dying to save them all. She'd run for ten years, run from everything that Storybrooke had represented, constantly looking over her shoulder. One day they would find themselves in another crisis and need Gold. When that happened, she being the only one to know more than a few of his secrets would need to be found in order to rescue them. She couldn't…wouldn't…return. Ever. They were on their own.

Belle stiffened as the door opened, but she didn't turn to see who it was. She'd know that soft tread anywhere. Whether it was a soft hesitant step as it was now or the sure confident stride he used when he was working. Warmth flooded her, almost able to feel the concern radiating from him. Rush was her rock, he had been for years now as their working relationship had blossomed into a deep friendship. He slowly lowered himself to her side, unsure of what to say though she knew it wouldn't take him long to find the words. It never did. But instead of asking how she was or what her outburst had been about, he stretched out his hand and opened his fingers to reveal a solitary pink watermelon Jolly rancher resting on his palm. Her favorite. He must have opened the new package she had stowed away in her bag. It amazed her that he paid enough attention to know the flavor she preferred the most.

She accepted his offering, peeling off the wrapper and popping the sweet candy into her mouth, the flavor bringing her comfort and a sense of normalcy. Her heart was still a bit ragged, but his presence seemed to ease the ache, something she was beginning to realize he was able to do more and more often. She didn't want to examine it too closely. If she did, she'd have to admit to herself that her feelings towards him were more than the platonic friendship she shared with him. She didn't know if she would ever allow herself to love again, not wanting to suffer through the heartbreak of losing someone else she loved. What they had was safe and that's how she planned to keep it.

They sat in silence for a good while before she found the will to speak. "Thank you," she said, her voice a ragged whisper.

Rush kept his eyes trained on the view before them, giving her the time, scared to make a sudden move and have her bolting from the room. "Why don't you ever talk about him, Miss French? It helped me to talk to you about Gloria."

"I know, and I'm glad you cared enough to share that with me." Her palm slid easily into his as she twined their fingers together. "I know it was difficult for you."

"Miss—"

"Will you please stop calling me that?" she asked softly. "In light of our new circumstances where we don't know if we're going to live or die, I'd really like…"

"Belle," he amended, squeezing her hand. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, to tell her that he wouldn't allow any harm to come to her, but he wouldn't lie to her when things were so uncertain. He cared too much to make light of their situation with false assurances. He would have to content himself with sitting by her side, her warm hand clasped within his own.

"There was this man…very evil if you believe someone can be truly evil…he was a threat to everyone. The only way to stop him…" Her voice trailed off, a tear slowly trickling from the corner of her eye as she tried to open up to him. She would never be able to tell him of her past. He'd think she was insane if she told him about fairy tales come to life in the modern world. "Gold sacrificed himself to save us. He did it to save me and his son."

"His son? Not yours?" Rush asked, stroking his thumb gently over the back of her hand as he listened.

"Not mine. Bae is a few years older than I am. It's complicated. But Gold didn't care that he was saving everyone. He did it for the two of us," she said, some of the bitterness she'd harbored for years, easing away.

"You said you didn't have anyone. Surely his son would have been there for—"

"I had no one. I witnessed Gold's death first hand, unable to do a thing to stop him and every last one of those people…people I thought were my friends…" she said, a broken sob tearing from her throat. "They left me there sobbing in the street without a word as they set about to clean up the mess Pan left. Not even Bae offered one word of sympathy. So I left. I left and never looked back. They didn't care about Gold and they didn't care about me. What did I have there to make me stay?"

"And the senator's sacrifice dredged everything you experienced back to the surface."

Belle brushed angrily at her tears and buried her memories deep within her, vowing it was the last she would ever allow them to surface. "It doesn't matter. I just hope Chloe is able to heal quicker than I was. She has people here who care for her and will help her through this."

Rush gently lifted her face to meet his gaze. "In all the late night chats we shared, why did you never tell me?"

Belle smiled fondly at the memory of working late with him first as his TA and then later on the Icarus project. Coffee and tea and cold Chinese takeout. Long talks of what their goals were and how to meet them. One particular night she'd found him nursing a bottle of scotch in his darkened office, full of regret that he hadn't been able to save Gloria. He'd bared his soul to her. That was the night she realized she cared for him as more than just her teacher and mentor. "It's not something I like to talk about, Rush. It's the past and that's where it should remain."

"Is it selfish of me to be thankful that you're here with me?" he asked, his lips quirking up slightly in a wry grin.

"Facing our impending doom? Not at all," she quipped, feeling lighter by the moment. "I can honestly say there's no place I'd rather be."

He rose to his feet, pulling her up with him, his fingers still entwined with hers. "Then shall we get back to work?"

"Yes, I—" She was interrupted by the radio squawking at her waist.

"Rush!" An alarm sounded in the background and his brows drew together in a deep frown. "Rush! Someone's dialing the gate!"

X*X*X*X*X

Belle was out of breath by the time she and Rush reached the gate room. Their mad dash down the corridor with the added situation of their failing life support left her fighting to pull enough air into her lungs and she collapsed against the console next to Riley.

Rush was surprised to see the colonel. "Colonel Young, you're up," he said, his features closed off into a blank mask.

Young huffed a short laugh. "Nice to see you too, Rush. I did order you to report to me."

"Yes," he admitted, waving him off. "But what are you doing?"

"We're trying to dial Earth."

Rush bristled with outrage, barely concealed and contained. "That would be a mistake."

Young smiled, the gesture pained as if he were smelling something unpleasant but didn't want anyone to know. "Riley thinks he's found the address for home."

Belle sidled up next to Eli and watched him adjust the settings on the Kino that was recording the exchange between the colonel and the lead scientist.

"His understanding of Ancient is marginal at best," Rush sneered.

Riley took exception to that, but managed to maintain a neutral tone. "With respect, doctor, I know enough to recognize a reference to Earth."

"He says the address wasn't that hard to find, Rush."

Rush stared hard at the colonel. The man never ceased to be a thorn in his side and he was beginning to rue the day he'd met him. "No, no. This is a complete waste of power we may need."

Scott stood next to his commanding officer to lend his support. "We have the address back. All we need is the right point of origin."

That infuriating grin was back on Young's face. "And we've got thirty six tries."

"We'll be adrift with _no_ power if you persist with this," Belle said, glowering at the colonel.

"We barely have enough power to operate the main systems. This ship simply doesn't have the capability to dial Earth," Rush said.

"You see, that's news to me."

Eli's anxious gaze swung between the two. "He didn't tell me that either."

"Well, I've only just learned myself." Rush pointed an accusing finger in Eli's direction, hissing, "And you know what I've been doing."

Young leveled Belle with a steely glance. "But I suppose you knew, didn't you, Miss French? Because everyone knows that Rush doesn't do a damn thing you're not privy to."

Belle shrugged, returning his gaze with one of her own. She would _not_ let him intimidate her. "One of the many perks of my job, Colonel."

Young sighed. "Even if it doesn't work, the people aboard this ship need to see us at least try."

The gate continued to whir and grind as Rush advanced on Young, not afraid to get in the man's face to get his point across. "So what, you're going to drain what little power we have for the sake of morale? How rsidiculous!"

The ship groaned and Belle had to grab the edge of the console as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Scott looked around, bewildered. "What was that?"

"The FTL drive just disengaged," Belle said, gently nudging Riley aside so she could pull up the necessary data on the screen.

"Why?" Riley asked. "Because we're draining power?"

Rush's mouth quirked up in a small knowing smile. "No. If I'm right, the gate should begin to dial at any moment."

The gate did indeed begin to dial, the soft whir and grind filling the stunned silence of the gate room. "How did you know that?" Scott asked suspiciously.

"The ship detected a stargate on a planet within range that may have what we need," Rush said, confident he was right.

"What?" Young asked. "How the hell are there even stargates out here?"

Rush cast the colonel a condescending smirk as he quickly explained. "The Ancients sent out a number of unmanned ships ahead of this one. They're programmed to gather data, resources, to manufacture stargates and deposit them on habitable worlds. Any relevant information is relayed back here to help plot the course."

"You're telling me that this ship knows we're in trouble?" Young asked incredulously.

Rush whirled around, glaring at the colonel, his attention finally focusing away from the gate. "Yes, because I told it we were," he snapped. Essentially, we're flying on autopilot. This ship may have stopped when it was in range of a stargate, regardless of our need. But I have reason to believe…"

The gate whooshed outward, the wormhole now open and settled into the puddle.

Young raked a hand through his short cropped dark hair as he stared at the event horizon held within the gate. "So, what we need is on the other side of that wormhole."

Rush smirked. "An educated guess, yes."

Young limped forward, his awkward gait taking him closer to the stargate. "Well, there's only one way to find out.

"Sir, you can't do that. We have no idea what's on the other side," Riley said.

Eli rushed forward. "We can use the Kino to find out."

Rush found a new appreciation for Eli's new toy. "I expect that's the purpose of this device," he said, watching it fly through the puddle to the other side, disappearing through the wormhole.

Belle's smiling voice filled the silence as they waited. "I'm getting readings over here. Temperature, gravity, atmosphere composition, barometric pressure, oxygen, nitrogen, very little CO2, extremely low humidity. Habitable but barely."

Rush nodded. "Good enough."

"Looks like four other addresses came up here, too," Brody called as he hovered over the second console with Dr. Park. Rush moved to his side and looked over the data.

"No, no, no. They're locked out. The ship chose this one. The stargate is open, all we have to do is step through," Rush said, not wanting to take a chance on something the ship strongly advised against.

Young shook his head. "No, what we have to do is put a team together."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle tossed a pair of pants over the giant crate of…well she didn't know what was in it. It was one of the crates the Ancients had left in one of the many storage bays that Rush ducked behind to change for his foray down to the planet. She was furious and didn't care if he caught the military grade uniform pants or if they whacked him upside his stubborn head.

"I don't see why I can't go. Palmer's going. Is it because I'm a woman or because you have so little faith in me?" she asked, boiling mad because they'd excluded her from the chosen team being sent to search for the things they needed to repair the life support system.

Rush glared at her in exasperation over the top of the crate. "You know I have every faith in you. Palmer is a geologist, Belle. She is necessary to this mission."

She tossed him a pair of boots next. "I could go in Franklin's place. You don't like him anyway."

Franklin glared at her from across the room. "Thanks for that, Belle," he said acidly.

Belle ignored him as Rush worked on getting his feet into the heavy boots. "Franklin has his uses. It was either him, Brody or Volker. I would have preferred having Brody on the team, but the colonel chose Franklin. I had nothing to do with that decision." He grunted as the jacket came flying over the crate and got tangled around his head. He was slowly losing his patience with her.

She braced her hands atop the crate and glowered at him, her mouth pressed into a tight thin bloodless line. "I'm your assistant. If you go, then so should I be allowed."

"You're not trained to go off world. Perhaps if the climate were better I would consider it," he offered, pulling on the jacket.

"Eli isn't trained either and he's going! The boy was beamed out of his house…yesterday! His most recent foray into the great outdoors involves going to the 7-eleven for a slurpee…"

"Hey!" Eli called, struggling into his own boots.

"…so your ingenious excuses just do not hold weight, Rush!"

Scott and Greer snickered quietly as they dressed for duty and Rush ground his teeth together. She was working herself into a fine rage and it would only worsen if he didn't somehow put a stop to it. He grabbed her elbow in a firm grip and pulled her into the shadows and hopefully out of earshot of the remaining occupants of the large room.

"Stop it," he hissed, his features showing the tension in the lines around his eyes and mouth. "You're not going. The colonel agrees with me…for once…and there will be no more arguing."

"Wanna bet?" she threatened.

"Belle, there is still much work to be done here on the ship. I have nine searches running in the database, there are still sections of the ship that need to be searched for damage and I'm hoping that soon you will find us suitable quarters. I need you here," he whispered urgently. "I'm depending on you."

"You play dirty Nicholas Rush," she said, folding her arms over her chest and raising her chin defiantly. She couldn't ask the questions that plagued her and continue to meet his gaze at the same time. "What if you get caught on the other side and can't get back to the ship?" she asked in a small voice.

He slung his pack over his back and led her from the storage bay and back into the gate room, the rest of the team already assembled near the ramp. He pointed to the countdown clock embedded over the door in the gate room. "Look. We have twelve hours to gather what we need and get back to the ship before we jump back into FTL. I will be back. I promise."

Rush strode up the ramp, following the team that was already disappearing through the event horizon. Before he could step through he turned and met her anxious gaze, taking note of the way she worriedly bit her lip. All they had was each other. It would be easier to sever a limb than permanently leave her behind. Twelve hours would be plenty of time to find the things they needed and return to her. What could go wrong?

"Wait!" she called, sprinting up the ramp to reach his side. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of Jolly Ranchers and tucked them into his pocket. "For luck."

He hesitated only a moment, his sable eyes caressing her face with his warm gaze and then stepped through the puddle.

**A/N: So thrilled by the positive response to this fic. Loved all the comments and likes and kudos and etc. You know what I mean, lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thank you all for following and taking the time to read.**

**Thankies from the bottom of my heart for my awesome sauce reviewers: auntpsy, Twyla Mercedes, AbbieWood, Guest and FaerieTales4ever (thanks, love for betaing for me even though you've never watched SGU!)**


	3. Air Part 3

Chapter Three: Air Part 3

Belle slumped wearily over the console, a Kino remote propped against the screen so she could monitor the images as well as the ships schematic. One team was still doing a random search of one of the corridors near the dome room-that had been sealed off. The rest of the teams had been recalled due to the thinning air and complaints of headaches and tightness in their chests. She snorted. She was still working, but then she had an iron will and determination to get her job done. Some of these people didn't know what hard physical work was, never having ventured from a desk in their entire career. If it was one thing she'd learned living in the Dark Castle, it was that a little hard work was good for the soul. It kept not only the hands, but the mind occupied. And that was exactly what she needed now.

The searches Rush was running through the database had turned up nothing so far, and she only had to check them periodically. The only thing of interest she'd learned was the ship's name…Destiny. She was certain her workaholic doctor would contemplate the meaning of that for a good while. Another secret pertaining to the ancient rust bucket they were trapped on, and he'd missed it because he had insisted on journeying through the gate to the desert planet_. _

_I should be with him_, she thought irritably. It wasn't fair that he got to go down to the first planet the ship stopped at since their arrival and she had to remain behind. She was his assistant. Where he went, she followed…or she had before this. She didn't want to admit to herself that she was worried something would happen to him and he wouldn't return. It was bad enough that she'd opened up to him about what had happened to Gold. What had possessed her to do that?

She drew in a ragged breath and lifted the radio to her mouth, recalling the team and sending them to the gate room with the others to report their findings to Young. It had been easier than she'd thought it would be to talk to Rush. He'd opened up to her about his wife's death, after all. That couldn't have been any easier for him to do than it had been for her to tell him about Gold. If she were honest with herself, it had felt good to unburden herself to him. Perhaps now she could finally put it to rest and let the pain finally fade. She couldn't dwell on the past anymore if she were going to move forward.

"Belle, did you hear me?" Dr. Lisa Park asked, her brows raised in question.

Belle shook her head, forcing her troubled thoughts to the back of her mind. "I'm sorry, Lisa. I guess I was just lost in thought," she apologized as she maneuvered the Kino into a corner of the gate room so she could have a good view of the stargate. "Did you find something?"

Park moved over to Belle's console and switched through several screens before finding the one that had so intrigued her. "I've abeen trying to identify and catalogue the different compartments that are habitable and I noticed there are these large common areas attached to each of the sections of crew quarters, but I don't recognize this word."

Belle glanced down, a slow smile curving her lips as she read the words written in Ancient. "Lavatory. We know the quarters already claimed by the crew…if that's what you want to call this ragtag bunch…don't have en-suite bathrooms. Perhaps this is a communal bathing chamber?"

"Maybe we should check into it?" she asked, delighted by the prospect of slipping away from work for a while to go exploring.

Belle frowned down at the screen. "Lisa, what section of the ship is this? I thought all the crew quarters were on the starboard side. These are on the port side and they seem larger than the ones we've seen so far."

"Maybe they were for the ship's officers?" Park said, shrugging.

"I don't know. I'll check it out later if I have time. Why don't you go and investigate this possible bathroom. If we're going to remain here for any length of time I really don't want to think about doing without a shower," she said, smiling at the woman. "Take Brody or Volker with you, ok? I don't think it would be a good idea to go alone until we get a better feel for the ship. I don't want you getting lost."

Belle continued to study the schematic after Park had gone, wondering if these could be possible quarters for her and Rush. She knew he'd want something far removed from the rest of the crew, his privacy important to him. She'd already labeled the schematic for each crew member who'd chosen quarters. They were the only two who'd been too busy not to stake a claim. She switched the screen back to the search of the database and noted there was no change, so she retrieved her ruck sack from beneath the bench and slung it over her shoulder.

She tucked the Kino remote into the back pocket of her jeans and lifted the radio to her mouth as she set off for the unused section of the ship. "Riley, this is Belle. Come in, please."

"They're not back yet, Belle," came the sergeant's automatic reply.

"I wasn't—" she began.

"The team has only been gone for two hours. Scott reported they'd had no luck in the immediate vicinity of the gate, and they were going to venture farther afield." The young man sighed and lowered his voice to a more friendly tone. "I promise if I hear any more news, I will let you know."

She sighed in frustration, her worry increasing. She knew what the planet was like, having seen the visuals provided by the Kino as well as the atmospheric readings. It was not going to be pleasant. "You're right, I'm just worried."

"We all are, but Greer and Lt. Scott won't let anything happen to our people," he assured her.

"Okay. Look, I'm going to check on quarters for me and Rush. Do you think you could monitor the search of the database from the console in the gate room," she asked.

The radio crackled again as his voice filtered up from the device. "Are you sure you should be investigating the ship alone?"

"I'll be fine. My radio is on so it's not like I'm really alone."

"I'll let you know if anything turns up with your search then," he said, a smile in his voice. "Riley, out."

Belle followed the corridor past the observation deck and ventured into one of the hallways towards the previously unsearched sections of the ship, praying she could remember the way from her brief study of the schematic of the ship. Her trek brought her past the dome room that had been sealed off due to damage and into a deserted corridor with muted lighting, four doors spaced a good distance apart on either side. Eight chambers in total.

The first chamber she entered, reminded her of the quarters Colonel Young had commandeered for himself with a large desk and comfortable seating area with a doorway that led into a modest bedroom with a dresser, a bed flanked by a nightstand on either side and a table and two chairs. She didn't think it would do for Rush, so she left the chamber behind and ventured to the next, palming the lock. She didn't feel right about that one either, feeling it was more to his taste, but just not what she was looking for. Neither did the next two. Finally she came to the last chamber on the left of the hallway.

This one was more suited to his tastes and she wondered if the Ancients had decorated the chambers with their own particular sense of style in mind. There was a comfortable sofa and coffee table near the door, a larger bed than what she'd seen so far, a dresser and a nice sized table with two comfortable looking chairs. A shelf spanning the wall, with muted lighting at intervals, served as a headboard for the bed and it too was flanked by a modest nightstand on either side of the bed. Yes, this would do nicely.

She set her rucksack on the bed and began unzipping the large compartment she'd set aside for him when they'd packed to leave for Icarus. The man hardly ever dragged his nose out of his ever present notepad full of equations and calculations and therefore couldn't be depended upon to be prepared for a situation the likes of which they'd found themselves in. Being his assistant, she'd taken it upon herself to prepare for him. It was a habit she'd developed when she'd fled Storybrooke. She very seldom kept more with her than what was necessary and she was always prepared to run. She'd never been more grateful than now that she was.

Belle withdrew his laptop and set it on the table, the power cord hastily wrapped around it. Hopefully there would be some way to charge it later. She stacked several of his notepads in the nightstand to the left side of the bed and an unopened pack of pencils and a sharpener she found at the bottom of her pack_. I don't even remembered tossing that in there_, she thought with amusement. She moved the dresser and deposited the clothes she brought along in the top drawer. Two vacuum-sealed space bags containing shirt, jeans, underwear and socks that she decided he could unseal later at his leisure. She'd been embarrassed enough rifling through his things at the base. She was wishing now she could have fit another pair of boots in there for him, but there just hadn't been room. She set a small bag with his toiletries atop the dresser and gave the room a once over, nodding in satisfaction that she'd done all she could. It now had more homey feeling now that his things occupied the chamber.

The pack felt lighter now, the lack of weight making her fidget nervously and she forced herself to clamp down on her nervousness and set it aside. She was being silly. There was nowhere to run now. The gate couldn't be dialed back to Earth and being on the other side of the universe, there wouldn't be a shuttle trip home. If the life support system could be fixed and they didn't all die of asphyxiation, she could comfortably settle in and not have to worry about moving any time soon.

She left the chamber to seek out her own, inspecting the four across the hallway before deciding on one for herself. Dropping her pack on the bed, she left it there with a sigh. She would have time to unpack later, she thought, and set out in the direction of the large chamber at the end of the hall enclosed by frosted glass doors. The lights flickered on as she entered and she was better able to see the layout of the room. Several enclosed stalls off to her right revealed stainless commodes and she was pleased to see she wouldn't have to trek very far in the middle of the night to use the facilities. There were benches along one wall as well as hooks to hang clothing from while occupied elsewhere, she supposed. It was the shower stalls that captured her full attention. The thick frosted glass enclosures would ensure privacy, though she was hoping she wouldn't have to share the facilities with anyone when it came time for her to wash. She was a very private person and the thought didn't please her at all.

Unless…

No, no, no, no, no!_ I refuse to give birth to that thought_, she scolded herself firmly. She was _not_ going to think of slipping into the shower with Rush. It was bad enough that she was having improper thoughts and even more scandalous dreams about the man. The thought of him naked and wet was…nope, she wasn't going there. Her cheeks were still flaming with heat as she opened one of the stalls and stepped inside to investigate. There were jets spaced along the walls of the cubicle and one large lever which must be the operating mechanism. Well, she didn't have time for a shower and decided to leave that for later, anxious to get to the gate room.

X*X*X*X*X

It was a bloody nightmare! That was the foremost thought that kept tracking itself through his brain as he followed the rest of the team across the endless dunes of white sand. So far they'd had no luck in finding the limestone needed to repair the life support system and if they didn't find it soon, things were only going to get worse. Although he had to admit, he'd never been so thankful for his little assistant's obsession with hard fruity candies, he thought, popping another Jolly Rancher between his lips. His mouth flooded with moisture as he sucked on it idly, rolling his eyes as Eli continued with his best impression of Charlton Heston in _Planet of the Apes._ The boy was determined to find something to entertain himself. He had that in common with Belle…neither of them seemed comfortable with silence.

Rush's teeth ground together in irritation as Franklin complained for what seemed the tenth time that they should investigate the other gate addresses available to them. "The ship locked those out for a reason," he hissed. "This is the gate available to us. We'll find what we need here."

It was quiet for a good five minutes, each one wanting to argue, but not anxious to spark the doctor's virulent temper. Eli sidled up next to Greer some distance ahead of Rush, but his voice was still loud enough to carry back on the oppressive air.

"So what's the story with Belle and Rush?" Eli asked in a stage whisper, causing the master sergeant's lips to quirk up into a smirk. "When I first met her, I thought she was his wife."

"Seriously?" Scott asked from his left, joining in on what would surely be an entertaining conversation. "You thought they were married?"

"They fight like they've been married for years," Greer said, chuckling. "Belle's a sweet girl…much too good for the likes of him, but apparently she's been his assistant for years."

Eli glanced over his shoulder at Rush, but the man gave no indication that he was listening. "I know, right? She's sweet and she really seems to know what she's doing, but it's just creepy sometimes the way those two interact."

Scott cut him a look of surprise. "You interested in her, Eli?"

Eli looked taken aback and the two soldiers couldn't tell if he was red in the face from the unrelenting rays of the sun or something more. "What?! No, no, of course not…well…no," the boy stammered.

Rush's hand tightened on the handle of the bag of testing gear he carried as he listened. Eli was a good kid, but not someone Belle would be romantically interested in…would she? Now that the seed had been planted in his mind, he couldn't shake it loose and he didn't like what it was doing to him. His stomach churned as if he'd eaten live eels and he was reluctant to identify that feeling as jealousy. Yet he couldn't deny the unmistakable anger that roared through his slight frame. It was so acute he was surprised to look down and to notice his hands were still their same tanned color instead of emerald green. He snorted. What did he have to be jealous over? Belle had worked with him for years and she'd never shown the slightest interest in anything but her work.

His brows drew together as he scowled at the men walking ahead of him. They were all trapped on the ship now. What if the cramped quarters and day to day danger of surviving made Belle long for comfort from the opposite sex? She had her choice of eligible males. He stopped as that unwelcome thought slammed into his gut with vicious intensity, casting a glance in the direction from which they'd traveled…the direction of the gate.

"Dr. Rush?" Scott called, curious as to why the scientist had come to a halt.

"We'll test here. It's as good a place as any," he snarled, dropping to his knees and pulling the testing supplies out of his bag, Dr. Palmer moving to his side to assist him. He was happy to have the blonde geologist to help him, because his mind was far from his task, his thoughts filled with Belle and what she was doing in his absence.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle drummed her fingers on the console she stood before in the gate room, her short nails tapping out her agitation in a rapid tattoo of sound. The colonel and Chloe had used the communication stones to visit Earth…Young to report to O'Neil and Chloe to visit her mother to relay the sad news of the senator's death. Unfortunately, the colonel had switched with Colonel Telford. She had to admit he was better than Dr. Peirce, but not by much. He was cocky and arrogant and just rubbed her the wrong way. As much as she disliked Young, she knew he would lead them well. She didn't trust Telford to have their best interests at heart.

She could have happily kicked Brody for mentioning the four other gate addresses Destiny had locked out. "I don't care," the man snarled, the lines around his mouth and eyes tight with pain from having to share Young's body and his many injuries sustained when he'd evacuated the base. "We need to explore all options available to us."

"Rush advised against it. Every time we dial the gate, it drains our already limited power reserves," Belle said, meeting the man's hostile gaze with one of her own.

"I don't give a damn about what Rush advised. There may be something on the other planets necessary to the survival of this crew. That is our top priority. Now find a way around the lockout," Telford hissed. "That's an order, Miss French."

"Then thankfully I'm not under your command, Colonel, and therefore don't have to obey."

TJ intervened as Telford reached up and pressed a hand to Young's bruised ribs. "Colonel, you need to rest," she said evenly, leading him away from the gate room, before he could argue.

Brody snickered at her side. "Actually, Belle, we're all pretty much under their jurisdiction, this being a military operation."

"That was so not in my job description," she deadpanned. "When it has to do with the scientific aspect of my job I will always follow Rush's orders. If I'm stuck on a planet in danger of aliens or wild boar? Then I'll defer to Young and his team. But then…that wasn't Young now was it?"

Belle watched them go and turned back to the console, her meaningful glare daring Brody to dial one of the locked out planets. One of these days her mouth was going to get her into some serious trouble. _But not today_, she thought with a wicked grin. She had more experience with bullies than the colonel or anyone else of her acquaintance knew and she wouldn't go against Rush's instructions to follow Telford's orders. She glanced up at the countdown clock, the numerical figures clicking down in Ancient. Six hours left, she thought miserably. _Where are you, Rush?_

X*X*X*X*X

"Miss French," Colonel Young greeted, a faint smile on his lips as he steeped to her side at the console.

She cocked her head to the side, regarding him silently as she took in the lack of hostility in his posture that Telford usually displayed. "Good to have you back, Colonel," she said with a nod.

He huffed a short laugh, her sentiment high praise considering he wasn't one of her favorite people. "Has there been any news?"

"Last contact was from Eli. He said Scott split them into two teams. Scott, Greer and Rush on one and Eli, Palmer, Curtis and Franklin on the other. Scott figured they could cover more ground if they split up," she said, rubbing her hands over her face in an effort to scrub away a bit of her weariness. It was going on far too long since she'd slept and the thinning air wasn't helping her fatigue in the least.

Her gaze jerked up as the puddle rippled and Riley cried out, "There they are."`

Belle didn't hesitate, sprinting across the short distance to where Rush struggled down the ramp under the bulk of a wounded Franklin. Barnes, Dunning and Spencer rushed forward to help the wounded scientist as TJ hurried into the gate room to assess his injuries. "Rush!" she breathed out, nearly weak in her relief. "What happened to Franklin?" she asked, casting a frown at the downed scientist.

Rush collapsed to his knees against the cold floor, his breath coming fast and labored. "Greer…" he gasped, trying to make himself clear, the words barely making it past his parched throat. "Greer shot him. Water!"

Belle turned to fetch him a drink to find Riley at her side, holding out his canteen. Rush snatched it out of her hand, upending the vessel to his lips and drinking greedily. She laid a hand over his where it tightly gripped the canteen, her eyes meeting his. "Slowly. You're going to make it come right back up if you drink too fast."

He didn't, however, heed her warning, knowing well what his body needed far better than she did. He thrust the canteen back at Riley, not a drop left. The young sergeant smirked his displeasure. "Well, that was my ration for the day."

Belle nodded to her own canteen sitting on the console across the room. "You can have what's left of mine. Thank you," she said, smiling at her friend. She would fetch more for him from their limited stores. "Rush, you look dreadful," she murmured, helping him to his feet.

He leaned heavily on her, smiling weakly. "Yeah, well…"

Young limped over. "What's going on, Rush? Where are the rest of our people?"

A condescending smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. "Oh, we had a lovely day at the beach. How 'bout you?"

"Could we cut through the horseshit and give me a straight answer?"

"Fine!" Rush snapped, shifting a bit so he wouldn't crush Belle beneath his weight. "Palmer and Curtis dialed the gate to one of the other planets. Eli tried to stop them, but they went anyway. Franklin was going to go too and leave us stranded without the remote to dial back to the ship so I ordered Greer to shoot him. Scott is out there on his own looking for the limestone and Greer left me and Eli at the gate before he went to search for him."

Young nodded, already swinging around and calling for Lt. James. "Take two men and an extra Kino through the gate, Lieutenant. Have Eli dial and get Palmer and Curtis back. Then I want you to help Sergeant Greer search for Scott."

Belle turned her back on Young, leaving him to see about the rest of the mission and led Rush over to sit on the stairs. "Miss— Belle!" he hissed in exasperation. "Stop hovering, I'm fine!"

Her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line as she crossed her arms over her chest. Without a word, she left him there to sort himself out. He winced and smacked his palm over his face, burying his head in his hands as she stalked angrily back to the console she'd been monitoring. He'd let his earlier annoyance bleed over into the present when she'd clearly been nothing but concerned for his well-being. He wasn't deserving of her concern if he was going to constantly act like an ass, he thought miserably, sneaking a glance in her direction. She wouldn't even look at him, concentrating on her work. Damn!

_Why do I continue to keep her at arm's length_, he wondered, casting a furtive glance at her…only to see that she wasn't there any longer. He sighed and leaned his head against the metal railing that curved up the side of the stairs, closing his eyes. If he hadn't let Eli's earlier conversation with Scott and Greer get under his skin, he most likely wouldn't have snapped at her. No, scratch that. Who was he kidding? When didn't he take his nasty temper out on her?

Belle French was his only friend on the entire bloody ship. If he weren't careful, she wouldn't want to have a thing to do with him and then where would he be? For starters, she was the only person he could have a decent conversation with, her vast intellect rivaling even his. He definitely couldn't see sharing down time with Volker or Brody…or heaven forbid, Young. He shuddered. Belle had been with him so long, he didn't want to imagine his life without her working by his side. He couldn't let his longing for her get in the way of that, nor could he continue to take advantage of her giving nature. He was going to have to show her that he wasn't the complete bastard other people thought him to be.

He pushed his nausea aside…he suspected he might have a mild case of heatstroke…prepared to seek her out to learn what she'd been doing in his absence when a pair of soft brown suede boots appeared in his line of sight. He kept his face impassive as he lifted his eyes to meet hers. He could tell she was still angry at him from the tight set of her jaw, yet still she'd come to him to offer comfort.

Belle took the cool wet cloth and moved his hair aside to lay it across the back of his neck and then handed him the canteen she'd filled. "I brought you some more water. I would advise again to drink it slowly…not that you ever listen to me," she mumbled acidly beneath her breath. "The search through the database has proven useless so far."

Rush did as she asked and sipped at the water when his fervent desire was to guzzle it. "Thank you, Miss—" He stopped abruptly when her eyes narrowed menacingly. "Belle," he amended. When he scooted closer to the railing, making room for her, she took the hint and settled at his side.

"I did find something interesting though," she said, removing her iPhone from her pocket and pulling up the pictures she'd taken. "Look at this." She pointed to the screen, showing him what she'd found.

"Destiny?" he asked, scrolling through the pictures.

She nodded, fighting back a yawn. "Yeah. I pulled it up on your console in the control interface room. Provided no one went in there and started pushing buttons."

He handed the phone back, anxious to see the data for himself, but knowing it would have to wait until their current crisis had been resolved. "And our quarters?"

She rose from her seat and offered him a hand up. "I think you'll be pleased with what I was able to secure for us. I'll show you…later."

Rush watched her walk away, a slight bounce in her step and a smile on her lovely lips. He wondered if he should be pleased that she'd completed her task or worried over the mischief so evident in her gaze.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle leaned against the console in the gate room, wondering how she was even still on her feet as tired as she was. Lt. James and her team had returned moments ago with no luck in finding Greer or Lt. Scott and they were running out of time. "We've got less than three minutes before the ship jumps again," Rush said, his eyes fixed on the countdown clock embedded into the wall behind them over the door leading into the ship.

She raised the radio to her lips. "Anything yet, Eli?"

"No," came his worried response. "Nothing. Nothing but sand."

A steady beeping noise, the alarm to alert them time was running short, sounded and Belle entered the command to shut it down. "Less than one minute," Rush said, his gaze moving back and forth between the clock and the gate.

Belle chewed worriedly on her lower lip, to quell the whimper that fought to escape. She would not let her courage fail her now. She jumped when the radio burst to life in her hand, Eli's excited tones meeting her ears. "They're here. They're carrying something! They've got the lime...and they're not going to make it!"

"Forty seconds," Riley said, the countdown clock seeming to speed up.

"Give me the radio," Rush commanded, holding his hand out to Belle. He moved to stand at the base of the short ramp leading to the gate, speaking urgently into the radio. "Eli, I want you to stick your arm into the event horizon of the puddle."

"Seriously?" Eli squawked.

Young stepped to the doctor's side and gave him a dubious look. "Are you sure?"

Rush shook his head. "No, but I'm betting there's some kind of safety protocol to prevent someone from getting cut off en-route."

"But what if there isn't?" the colonel questioned, worried for his team.

Rush cast him a scathing glance.

"20 seconds!" Belle called.

Rush clicked the radio's com button again. "Do it now, Eli!"

Belle stepped back, away from the console, and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and hugging herself to ward off the chill that was slowly creeping over her. The low tones of Riley's voice droned on as he counted down. "Five…four…three…two…one." They were going to leave without them and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

The alarm sounded again as the clock reached zero, the ship beginning to groan as the FTL drives revved in preparation for the jump and still the gate remained open, the puddle rippling softly. She offered up a silent prayer that Rush had made it back safely. If they were all going to die, at least they'd be together, she thought a little hysterically. The ship groaned and she clenched her hands into tight fists to still their trembling. It seemed as if every man and woman in the gate room were frozen in anticipation and fear.

Greer and Scott tumbled through the gate, staggering down the ramp with the heavy duffle filled with lime between them to collapse onto the cool metal floor. Eli was but a second behind them and Rush hurriedly made his way to the boy's side, shoving a canteen of water into his hands. "Well done, Eli, well done," he said, clapping him on the back.

Belle slid down the wall, burying her head against her knees as the gate whooshed closed and Destiny jumped back into FTL.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle clipped her radio back to her waist and propped her shoulder against the wall. Rush stood nearby, overseeing the last node…or scrubber as Brody and Scott were fond of calling it since it would _scrub_ the CO2 from the air…put in place in the corridor leading to the control interface room. It had been cleaned of the sticky black gunk that had built up on it for who knows how long and filled with the solution made from the lime. It just needed to be fit back into place and turned on. One last task and then maybe she would be able to find her bed.

Brody and Volker lifted the node and set it into place, making sure it was secure and flipped the switch. But instead of fresh clean air wafting sweetly from the vents, there was a buzzing alarm alerting them that something was wrong. Belle threw her hands into the air and bit down on her tongue to hold her temper in check. What else would persist in bedeviling them today? She rubbed absently at the tension in the back of her neck as she marched back down the corridor into the control room and brought up the data she needed, the screen flashing red on the schematic where they'd just installed the node.

"Just great," she sneered at the screen.

Rush came into the room to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder at the console. "What is it?" he asked, leaning in closer and wishing his glasses hadn't been broken upon his arrival through the gate when they'd evacuated Icarus. His hand brushed hers aside and caressed her nape as she so often did to him. "You know we can finish this without you if you want to go to bed."

"No," she protested mildly. "I want to see this finished." She didn't add that she wouldn't retire until he did. He needed rest every bit as much as she did…even if he was too stubborn to admit it.

He pressed the com button on his radio, drawing it out of his breast pocket. "Brody, do you see an access door to the maintenance corridor behind the node? Someone's going to have to go in there and manually reset it. It should be fairly easy.

"Uh-oh," came the reply.

"What do you mean, _uh-oh_? What kind of answer is that? Either it's there or it's not," Rush snarled into the radio. Belle was practically asleep on her feet as he took her hand and pulled her from the room to where the two men stood staring into the darkened maintenance corridor. He peered inside, stepping around them. "Damn."

"That's what we meant," Brody said, shoving his hands into his pockets and waiting to hear suggestions from the others as to how they were going to reach the manual reset.

"How are you going to fit in there?" Belle asked, taking in the cramped space. There were various panels and what looked like cooling pipes, not that she really knew what she was looking at. Give her numbers and calculations and she could run them all day long. When it came to the technical working such as this, she was lost. All she knew for certain was that it was going to be a tight squeeze. She felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at the thought of going down that corridor.

Volker looked her over, his eyes traveling her petite form from head to toe. "Belle shouldn't have any problems maneuvering her way through there. She's tiny enough."

"I'm not sending Belle in there," Rush growled, not liking the idea of his little assistant in the dark confined space.

"N-No, I'll go," she assured him with a weak smile. "I can do it." Already her breath was threatening to freeze in her lungs at the thought of going in there, but she couldn't let everyone down, least of all Rush. It was her job to go where she was needed and she wouldn't shirk her duty now when she never had before. "I can stand up in there at least. I won't have to crawl. Just don't let the door close on me, okay?"

"You don't know how to reset the system, Belle—"

"You can talk me through it," she said, pulling her iPhone from her pocket and turning on the flashlight app. She stepped up to the door hesitantly, taking a deep breath before walking through, ignoring the sharp acrid taste of fear on the back of her tongue.

Rush, however, wasn't going anywhere. "Volker, go to the control room. The schematic is already pulled up on my console," he said, taking Brody's radio and thrusting it at the ginger-haired astrophysicist. He didn't look at the man's disgruntled expression as he stalked off to do as he was told, stepping towards the door.

"Rush it's going to be cramped enough in there with just Belle. You shouldn't—" Brody warned, but Rush cut him off.

"Do not presume to tell me something I can clearly see with my own eyes, Mr. Brody. If she isn't able to do it, I can help her." He followed her down the corridor, noticing that she glanced back every so often, her wide eyes confirming the door was still open.

"Rush, I told you I could do this," she retorted, stopping about half way down the long corridor. She stood just behind the node, a panel on either side.

He smirked at her in the dim glow of her flashlight. "And it never hurts to have an extra pair of hands." He clicked the com button on the radio. "Volker, we're just behind the node. There are panels on either side. Tell me the procedure for the reset."

"Good thing you decided to go in with her, because it's going to take both of you to reset the system," Volker replied. "Take the panel coverings off."

"Volker, there's barely room to move in here," Rush snarled.

"It should be fairly easy, Dr. Rush. There are fastenings on either side of the panel and then it should slide down to reveal the mechanism."

"Got it," Belle said, having released the covering on her side while the two men were bickering.

"How are you doing that without dropping the flashlight?"

"Ingenuity, Rush," she snarked, turning to him so he could see that she'd tucked the phone into her bra, the light sticking out of the top. He felt his mouth go dry as he stared at her chest.

"Rush?" Volker said.

He snapped back to attention, turning his gaze away from the tantalizing view to concentrate on the myriad buttons and whatnot inside the panel. "Alright, we have both of the covers removed. Next step."

"Inside there should be a row of green buttons. Are you on the left or right of the node?"

"The left," he snarled through clenched teeth. Really what did it matter? He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, trying to banish the image of Belle's top pulled down over her breasts so she could use her bra as a handy phone holder.

"Ok, you have to depress the first and fourth buttons simultaneously on both panels. Then just behind the node is a lever. Pull it and it should manually reset."

Belle smiled, hoping he wouldn't see how her hands trembled from being in the confined space. "See, that should be simple enough." On the count of three, they pressed the buttons, a series of red lights above the panels showing clearly that they'd succeeded in their task. Belle quickly replaced her panel, the sooner the better to be free of the corridor and back into the open space of Destiny's main corridor. All that was left to do was pull the lever. Rush squeezed around her in the tight space and wrapped his hand around the lever, the node whirring to life, the solution inside the glass cylinder beginning to bubble and churn.

The door slid shut with an ominous whoosh.

Belle made her way as quickly as she could in the cramped space, to the door, planting her hands on it with a sharp smack. "Brody, open the door!" she screamed through the heavy immovable metal.

"The door lock isn't working," he called back.

Belle was frantic as she felt along both sides of the door for the release mechanism, panic rising in her breast to choke her. "Brody, get me out of here…_now_!"

Rush crowded in behind her, making it feel as if the walls were closing in on her as he tried to help her find the door release. She whirled on him, the top of her head bumping his chin as she grabbed a handful of his flak jacket in her icy fingers. "Rush, please make him open the door. I can't be trapped again. MAKE HIM OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Volker, what the hell is wrong with the damn door?" he growled into the radio. "It appears Belle is claustrophobic. I need it opened."

"Then why'd she go in there?"

Rush wanted to bang his head against the door. He figured it would somehow be less painful than talking to the man. "There should be some way to open it…an override…there on the console."

He was quickly losing his patience with the man as Belle's soft whimpers turned into sobs that wracked her petite frame. "Uh-oh," came Volker's reply, a quaver in his voice.

"Not this again," Rush murmured. "What now? There's no override?"

"There is, but I'm not as well versed in Ancient as—"

"Then find someone who is. Where is Park?" he asked, wincing as Belle's nails dug into his chest.

"Um…"

"Go find her!" He shoved the radio into the back pocket of his jeans and slipped his arms around Belle's waist, tucking her head beneath his chin. "There, we have help coming. We won't be here long. At least we have the flashlight," he crooned softly against the crown of her head.

The flashlight died a slow flickering death, leaving them in the muted glow of the lights from the panel behind them. _SHIT!_ She struggled against him, her sobs nearly hysterical now. "Belle, It's ok, look at me," he said in a soothing tone he didn't know he was capable of making.

"Out, Rush, you…have to get me…out," she panted. "Can't let her…have to get…out. Please! Don't let…don't let her lock me up again."

She beat her small hands against his chest and he was forced to take the phone from her, slipping it into his pocket before she dropped it and damaged it beyond repair, wondering who had locked her away and why she was so terrified of it happening again. Another mystery about his little assistant he'd need to solve, but that would have to wait. Right now he needed to restore some semblance of calm before she hurt herself, or him. She was stronger than she looked.

"Belle, shh, listen to me. Take a deep breath," he murmured, enclosing her within the circle of his arms and trapping her hands between them as he rubbed gently at her nape, his fingers digging into the knot of tension at the top of her spine. "Deep breath. Can you do that for me?"

She drew in a shuddering breath, her entire body trembling violently, her nails digging into his chest, but she stopped fighting to get away from him. She was so tense, her muscles seized, she felt like a marble statue instead of the soft woman he knew her to be. Finally, after years of yearning to have her in his embrace and he couldn't even take the time to enjoy it. What had happened to this precious woman to have her reduced to utter panic and desperation? Who had done this to her?

"Nothing is going to harm you, Belle. I won't let anything hurt you," he crooned, his lips brushing against her temple in a soft caress. "Think wide open spaces. Remember the lounge on Icarus? You'd sit in front of the window and stare out at the horizon…big and open…the panoramic view seemed to go on forever…" He knew he was mumbling nonsense, but after a while she didn't seem quite so tense. His knuckles skimmed over each nub of her spine in a light circular motion, moving on to the next, one after another and then moving back up to start again. "Did you ever go to the beach with your friends when you first came to California? The wide open space, the endless blue of the Pacific…"

"Didn't have any," she whispered, pressing her face into the crook of his neck where it met his shoulder.

"California has beaches everywhere, Belle," he said, a smile in his voice. It died quickly in this throat at her next murmured response.

"Friends...didn't have any. You were the first person I allowed myself get close to," she admitted, realizing too late she'd left herself open for ridicule should he be inclined.

"Oh, Belle," he groaned, "I—"

The radio crackled and he hurriedly reached for it. "Dr. Rush, we've encountered a problem," Dr. Park said tentatively. She was all too familiar with his volatile temper, having worked on his team for the last six months and she knew he wouldn't take well to the news.

"What problem? We need to get Belle out of here now," he growled into the radio. Belle was still a mess and the distraction of soft words and gentle touches was fading back into her previous state with the interruption. "Fix it."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Rush, we're doing what we can. The system has a fail-safe to prevent tampering with the reset. The door will remain open for only a few moments before it automatically seals, giving you only a limited time to get out. We would have to remove the node, wait an estimated time and then replace it. However, since you've already reset it from the panel in the corridor, it shouldn't be a problem to reinstall it on this side and have it restart properly."

"How much time?"

"Half an hour?" she asked, making it into more of a question.

"You're asking me? Last I checked, there isn't a console in here, Dr. Park. Perhaps you could pull Brody and Volker from the hallway, and their arduous task of standing about, and see if they might assist you!" he hissed, clicking the radio off and replacing it in his pocket. "Bloody imbeciles."

A violent tremor shook her petite frame and Rush pulled her closer. "It's ok…it's ok…they'll get us out," he assured her with a confidence he didn't at all feel.

"Rush," she whimpered against his chest. "We have to get out. I can't be locked up again. I can't! You have to do some-"

She struggled, she fought, she clawed, trying to free herself from him to pound on the door. Surely someone would hear her, someone would let her out. The walls felt as though they were closing in on her, pressing ever closer, robbing her of air and threatening to crush her until she was nothing but dust. Being behind a locked door brought all her memories screaming to the forefront of her mind, memories she'd tried to bury years ago of being Regina's prisoner, first in the tower of her castle and then in the basement asylum. She couldn't go through that again. She couldn't stand to be locked away in the dark and cold with no chance for escape.

Rush could hear Park and the others already starting to work on removing the node from its enclosure. If she could just hold on for a little longer. She needed another distraction, but he didn't think the efforts he'd tried previously would work again. She was too far gone into her state of panic to listen to anything he might say to comfort her. So he did the only thing he could think of that might shock her enough to regain some sense of self and control. He kissed her.

Belle froze in surprise, her lips parted on a gasp at the first brush of his lips against hers. His strong hands exerted gentle pressure as they rose to cradle her face, holding her in place as his lips slid tenderly over hers, slanting slightly to keep his nose from bumping hers. Warmth flooded through her, chasing away the icy coldness that had gripped her. And it was over far too quickly, not even giving her a chance to respond before he was pulling away to gaze down at her in the dim light.

"Belle…" he whispered, his warm breath fanning against her lips as he rested his brow to hers. "Breathe for me."

She drew in a deep shuddering breath, holding his gaze, filling her lungs with much needed air and slowly she felt the panic begin to subside. He was her comfort, her solace, her strength. With him, there was a deep burning need within her to trust…something she hadn't felt in more years than she could count. For four years, he'd slowly pushed her to follow her academic dreams, to reinvent herself and leave her past behind, to start fresh and have another chance at happiness. She'd stood beside him and helped him cope with the loss of his wife, supporting him without hesitation when he'd joined the project that had led them here. She _did_ trust him, but not completely. Yet, now…now she felt herself longing to trust him with that part of her she kept hidden from the world, the part of her she'd buried away to prevent herself from ever knowing pain and heartbreak again.

"Good girl," he breathed, sharing his air with her, never having felt closer to her. "Deep breaths…calm, even breaths. Nothing can hurt you, Belle. I'm here." His hands slipped away from her face, trailing along her smooth skin to rest on her shoulders, his thumbs drawing back and forth over her rapidly beating pulse points in her neck.

He held her, continuing to whisper softly…utter nonsense, really, but she wasn't paying attention to his words anyway, concentrating more on the sound of his voice…until the last of her tension drained away, leaving her soft curves pliant and yielding where his lean lines pressed into her. She withdrew her sharp nails from his chest, smoothing over the area she'd damaged with a soft touch and he sighed in relief to feel her relax into his embrace rather than fight against him. No longer did he represent the specter of her past, but rather another chance, the first threads of hope and faith in a brighter future.

"Nicholas…" It was uttered so softly, he might have missed it if he hadn't been staring so avidly at her mouth, her soft pink lips holding his rapt attention. That one word, his name, spoken with reverence, longing and so much need nearly shattered the firm control he exerted over his baser instincts. He'd wanted her for so long, to have her in his arms, to press his lips to her creamy flesh, but he couldn't take advantage of her lapse into hysteria to sate his own cravings. Her hand slid up along his chest, her thumb brushing back and forth against the hollow of his throat and he shivered, the pleasure of her innocent touch sending fire rapidly spreading through his body.

Her fingers curled in the ends of his hair, tugging gently, coaxing him to bring his lips back to hers once more. She was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, his body blanketing her against the door and she wanted more…_needed_ more…and he was helpless to resist. His lips barely brushed against hers, the touch feather light, but it left her feeling as if she'd run for miles, butterflies the size of condors taking flight in her belly and leaving her breathless with anticipation.

Rush's head jerked up, his hands falling away from her as the door whooshed open and he was faced with the brighter light of the corridor. Cool air rushed in to greet them, helping to clear the haze of desire that had robbed him of his good sense. Belle sagged against him in relief as TJ and Park reached in to her, pulling her forward quickly to assure themselves that she was alright.

He glared at Brody and Volker as Young stepped between them. "You turned your radio off," the colonel accused in a mild tone, seemingly amused that the brilliant doctor had somehow locked himself in a maintenance corridor.

"Yes, well, I had more pressing issues that required my full attention." He turned to Park, brows raised. "The door remains open so I'm going to assume you were able to override the failsafe."

"Yes, Dr. Rush," she said as TJ led Belle away to the infirmary to check her out, Belle protesting loudly. "Once we restarted the node I was able to go into the ship's computer and enter the commands to prevent this from happening again."

He sent Park, Brody and Volker back to the control room with the assurance that he'd join them after he'd changed out of the military uniform he'd worn down to the planet, leaving him alone in the corridor with Young.

"I didn't know Miss French was claustrophobic," Young said, limping beside Rush as they headed in the direction of the infirmary.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about her." There were still things _he_ didn't know, but he wasn't about to tell the Colonel. "Not everything is written in her personnel file," he murmured acidly, wishing the man would take himself off elsewhere. He wanted to get to Belle and assure himself she was alright.

"The situation on board this ship is tenuous at best, Rush."

"Just what are you implying, Colonel?" he snapped, stopping to glare at the man.

Young smiled, a wry twisting of his lips. "I'm not implying anything. I'm simply saying this is not the place for romantic entanglements."

Rush's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, heat rising in his already sunburned face to stain it a vivid crimson. "Whatever _entanglements_ may or may not develop between members of this crew are none of your concern, Colonel Young. There are civilians on this ship that are not accountable to your military rules of conduct. More so those involving me _or_ my assistant. Her conduct has always been above reproach and will remain so."

"It's not her I'm worried about."

Rush scoffed, casting him a contemptuous glare and turned on his heel, stalking off to find Belle and wishing the colonel to perdition.

**A/N: Thank you all who have jumped on my Rushbelle bandwagon. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone thus far. I just love writing this! Next chapter, Rush has a meltdown and Belle makes things all better. Lol. Hope to see you next week!**

**Thank you so much to my awesome sauce reviewers: Twyla Mercedes, emospritelet, Wondermorena and RaFire! You guys are so amazing. **


	4. Darkness

Chapter Four: Darkness

Rush met very few crew members in the corridors as he made his way to the infirmary. Those he did, see took one look at his sullen and angry expression and did their best to escape his notice. Not that he noticed, lost to his own thoughts as he was. _What was I bloody well thinking?_ he thought, groaning inwardly. He'd kissed her…_kissed her!..._in a moment of insanity. He could tell himself, all he wanted, that he'd done it to help her, to quell the panic and abject fear rising within her, but he couldn't quite convince himself it was true. He'd _wanted_ to kiss her, more than anything he'd wanted in a long time and he had completely taken advantage of the situation…of her. And the worst of it was that he wanted more, that one brief taste of her lips not enough to douse the fire in his blood.

It wasn't enough that he'd stranded her here on Destiny, put her life in peril at his whim. He hated to admit it, but the colonel was right. If he hadn't wanted to dial Earth for fear of the explosion transmitting through the wormhole, he could have dialed elsewhere. There were many gates accessible to them, any which would have offered them relative safety. No, in his insane quest to unlock the ninth chevron address, he'd put her in danger…put them _all_ in danger. He was a selfish bastard, would be the first to admit it, yet Belle had never turned her back on him. At his insistence, she'd embarked upon a very lucrative career, but he knew she didn't need the money. So why had she stayed? He snorted, knowing it wasn't his charming personality that kept her chained to his side. Was it the joy she found in her work…or something else?

_"Don't let her lock me up again!"_ Belle's words reverberated inside his head, making the pressure behind his eyes throb anew. Who was _her_? What had happened to his little assistant before she'd come to California that would leave her in such a state of panic? She was always so reluctant to share anything that had to do with her past, locking it away in a hidden vault in her mind. And after four years of having her as his colleague, she'd just hours ago told him about her former love and his loss. Well, now that she'd begun to open herself up, he'd be damned if he'd let her close herself off again. If it wasn't too late, if he hadn't broken something between them by kissing her.

He was still glowering fiercely as he strode into the infirmary to find Belle arguing with TJ as the medic removed a blood pressure cuff from her arm.

"I'm fine, TJ," Belle said rubbing her arm to restore circulation where the cuff had been. "It's not like this is the first time this has happened." She looked up at Rush as he came to stand beside the gurney she sat upon. "Rush, tell her I'm fine."

Rush crossed his arms over his chest and focused his attention on TJ. "How is she, really?"

"Rush!" Belle hissed, seeing she would get no help from that quarter. "You're supposed to be on _my_ side," she murmured sulkily.

His eyes warmed as they regarded her closely. "I am. That's why you're going to sit still and allow TJ to care for you."

Belle rolled her eyes, but held her tongue. For all his surly and gruff exterior, she knew he cared for her in his own way.

TJ continued her examination, frowning at the bruise purpling on Belle's temple. "Her blood pressure is slightly elevated, but nothing alarming. How long have you had this?" she asked Belle, skimming her fingers over the woman's temple.

Belle jerked away, flinching from the pressure exerted on the wound. "It's nothing. I got hit with one of the packs as we came on board."

TJ frowned, concerned for her friend. "Any dizziness, blurred vision, nausea?"

Belle shook her head, her cerulean eyes shooting daggers at Rush for his lack of assistance. "No, nothing."

"When was the last time you slept…or even ate, for that matter?" the medic asked, knowing sleep had been scarce among the crew since they'd landed on the Ancient ship. And Rush's assistant wasn't known to sleep much when she was bogged down with work. She pressed a small cup of water into Belle's hands. "Here sip this."

Belle shrugged, doing as she was bid and sipping the water, relieved by the cool liquid sliding down her throat. "I dunno. I've been busy," she supplied lamely.

"When, Belle?" Rush asked.

Belle regarded him through narrowed eyes, a bit hurt that he wasn't taking her side. She didn't need a checkup when she was perfectly fine. "The day after you left for Earth to fetch Eli," she answered, raising her chin defiantly and daring him to scold her when he himself was just as sleep deprived as she was.

TJ shook her head in exasperation. "I won't keep you here in the infirmary overnight, Belle, but you've got to get some sleep…at least eight hours. Now that we're here, with limited rations and no idea of when we'll be getting any supplies, you've got to take better care of yourself."

Belle brightened significantly. "I will, TJ. Thank you," she said, hopping down from the gurney.

It was then the medic turned her attention to Rush. "Your turn," she said, waving a hand at the seat Belle had just vacated in a gesture for him to sit so she could examine him.

Rush uncrossed his arms, his brow knitting into a frown. "What? No, no, that's not necessary, Lieutenant," he protested.

"Oh, no, doctor man, if I had to submit, then so do you," Belle said, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward. He was so surprised, he allowed her to do so before he could think of an excuse as to why he should resist.

"It won't take long, Dr. Rush," TJ said, hiding a grin as she helped Belle tug the flak jacket off his shoulders, leaving him in his t-shirt. "Have you been drinking lots of water since you returned from the planet?" she asked, pressing a cup of water into his hands.

He nodded around the cup.

Belle brushed the hair away from his brow, tucking a long strand behind his ear as TJ wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his bicep. "Do you happen to have anything for the sunburn, TJ?" she asked, frowning worriedly at the reddened flesh of Rush's face and hands.

"Blood pressure's normal, though he seems to be slightly dehydrated," TJ said, refilling his cup. "Just try to drink as much as you can. I know it's going to be difficult with the rationing, but we don't want you falling ill. Very few supplies made it through the gate and I have to save them for emergencies, otherwise I'd hook you up to a bag of saline solution."

Rush arched a condescending brow at the medic. "I assure you I'll be fine."

TJ rolled her eyes, all too familiar with the pair's stubbornness. Sometimes she wondered how he and Belle got any work done at all without killing each other, both known to defend their arguments vehemently. She reached into her pack and pulled out several packets of aloe gel and handed them to Belle. "This should help with the burns. Do you think you could apply the gel while I go check on Dr. Franklin?"

Belle smirked at her friend, relishing the idea of smearing the gel all over Rush's burned face, making him sit still so she could care for him without his usual protests. "Oh, I think we can manage."

Rush eyed her warily as she ripped the packet open with her teeth and squeezed the cooling gel onto her fingertips. His lips parted on a sharp intake of breath as she stepped between his parted legs where they hung over the side of the gurney. She smiled shyly as she pressed her fingers to his brow and slowly began to work the gel into his irritated skin. A rosy blush rose in her neck to settle in the apples of her cheeks and he had to wonder if she was experiencing the same rush of heat through his lower extremities as he was at her close proximity, her gentle touch. He fisted his hands and held them at his sides, forcing back the urge to curve them over her hips and draw her closer.

"I should have packed sunscreen, I suppose," she teased, trailing her fingers over the bridge of his nose.

His lips turned up in a faint smile. "Even the ever-prepared Miss French can't think of _everything_," he murmured softly. His eyes were drawn to her mouth as she slipped another of the small packets between her teeth and tore it open. They closed as he bit down on the inside of his lip as she cradled his face in her hands and smoothed her thumbs languorously over his cheeks, the softness of her fingertips contrasting delightfully with the stubble on his jaw.

"Shocking, isn't it," she agreed. "Who would've thought we'd need sunscreen, eh?"

"Are you angry with me?" he blurted out, unable to reign in his wayward tongue before it loosed the question foremost in his mind.

She opened another packet of the gel and went to work on his irritated hands, a curious smile on her lips. "Why would I be angry with you? I understand why you didn't want me to accompany you to the planet. I didn't like it, but—"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," he said, cutting her off. "I took unfair advantage of you back there in the maintenance corridor and you have every right to be furious with me."

Belle cursed inwardly as she felt her face flame. She turned away from him and wiped the gel from her hands on a cloth. "Come on, Rush, let's get out of here." She was thankful when he followed, falling into step with her as she took the direction that would lead them to their new quarters. "I'm not angry," she said finally as they passed off the sealed door that led into the dome room. "You were only trying to help me. It's what friends do, Rush."

Rush felt his gut twist and churn in disgust. Of course she would think he'd only done it to surprise her, to shock her out of her panic because it was something unexpected coming from him. Did she really think that he couldn't want her as more than a friend? And the way she was fidgeting nervously, her fingers twisting themselves into knots, he knew it wasn't the right time to broach the subject.

"Of course," he mumbled dryly, nodding. He let the matter drop and she relaxed, sighing heavily. "So, where are we going?" he asked, trying to map the route she'd taken in the back of his mind for future reference.

"To our quarters," she replied brightly. "They're away from the rest of the crew quarters and I can only surmise they were set aside for the ship's officers. Since we're the last to choose our staterooms, I suppose we can benefit from what I was able to secure for us. Young is going to want to remain close to his people and I know you like your privacy, so I thought these would be perfect for us…and I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

Rush chuckled softly. "You always ramble when you're tired," he said, following her down the dimly lit corridor until she stopped before a door and palmed the lock.

He had to admit she had chosen well, the space she'd claimed as his more than adequate. It was much larger than the other quarters on the starboard side of the ship and the relative privacy they offered would suit rather well.

Belle left him to explore the chamber and plopped down on the end of the bed before her legs gave out from beneath her in her exhaustion. "Toiletries in your kit on the dresser, clothes in the top right hand drawer…oh," she said, biting down on a huge yawn. "Your laptop is there on the table and there are extra notepads and pencils in the nightstand on the left side of the bed."

He moved to the dresser and found himself marveling at her ingenuity. "Clothes? How—"

Her blush returned with a vengeance. "I may have…um…raided your room at Icarus. I mean, really…we didn't know this was going to happen, but I wanted to be prepared…um…just in case?" Her lips parted on a soft silent gasp as he bombarded her senses with the force of his smile, a true smile instead of the condescending quirk of his lips he usually wore.

"I'm clearly not paying you enough. This is grand, Belle, truly," he said sincerely, feeling his heart flutter a bit as she returned his smile with one of her own. "Are there any other discoveries you'd like to share?"

She couldn't hide the yawn that assailed her this time and it was a moment before she could speak again. "There's a bathing chamber at the end of the corridor. Toilets, a few basins with spigots that should give us water once the tanks are filled…should we ever find a planet to restore our water supply…and there are some questionable looking showers, but I haven't had time to test them." She yawned again and stretched her arms over her head to release some of the tension that had built up in her shoulders. "Oh, and my quarters are just across the hall, in case you were wondering."

He sat down beside her on the foot of the bed and reached to pull his boots off. "Stellar job, as usual. Seems you kept yourself busy while I was away."

"Mmhm," she murmured sleepily, fighting to keep her eyes open.

"There's still much we have to do. I want to check the database thoroughly and learn as much as I can as fast as I can to…" his voice trailed away as he felt her head come to rest against his shoulder, a soft snuffling sound falling from her parted lips. A puzzled frown overtook his features as he turned to look down at her dark head. He brushed the soft curls away that had escaped her ever present bun and sighed. Her exhaustion and the stress she'd been under since they'd arrived had been more than she could bear and her body had finally forced her into slumber.

Rush reached behind him and yanked the coverlet aside, revealing the smooth sheets beneath before lifting her slight frame in his arms and moving her to lie against the pillows. She didn't utter a sound as he removed her boots and set them on the floor beside the bed so she could easily find them when she woke. He pulled the coverlet over her, tucking her in comfortably. It was then he found himself unable to resist the lure to pull the pins from her hair. He'd never seen it down in all the time he'd known her and he thought it odd that he'd never wondered before.

Belle rolled over onto her side, pressing her face into the pillow with a dreamy sigh and he realized she'd given him the perfect opportunity to give in to his desire. Before he could change his mind and convince himself this was an invasion of her personal space, he reached out and tugged the pins from her hair, setting them on the nightstand for her to find when she woke. He uncoiled the tight knot and a slow smile formed on his lips as it unfurled in his rough hands, long streaming curls of chestnut with a hint of auburn so soft it felt like silk.

"Oh, Miss French, you _have_ been hiding, haven't you?" he murmured as he spread her locks out over the pillow and carded his fingers along her scalp with gentle pressure. She smiled in her sleep, pleasure finding her even in the arms of Morpheus. Changing his mind, he retrieved the pins from the nightstand and rose from the bed to change his clothes. He didn't know if he had the strength to move her to her own room without waking her and he didn't have to heart to disturb her. On the other hand, he in no way trusted himself to share a bed with the little temptress, especially not now when he knew that her sweet lips tasted like ambrosia. No, it was safer if he returned to the control interface room and got back to work. He slipped the pins into the pocket of his jeans, casting one last longing glance of Belle resting peacefully in his bed. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when she found no way to continue with her disguise.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush felt his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth as Belle walked into the control interface room, her eyes flashing with mild irritation and her glorious curls tumbling in sleek waves loose and free about her shoulders. It had been nearly impossible to hide her beauty behind glasses and a severe hairstyle, but he'd never imagined letting her hair down could make such a difference. She cocked a brow at him and Eli where they stood frozen in stunned admiration.

"Wow, Belle, I…um…hardly recognized you," the boy stammered, grinning sheepishly. "You look—"

Rush cut his eyes over at Eli, his lips curling up in a scowl. "Eli, don't you have work to do? If not, I'm certain I can find something for you to do."

Eli ducked his head, mumbling apologies and scurried over to his own console to begin running a diagnostic on the weapons system as Rush had tasked him before Belle had made her appearance, sneaking glances at her from beneath his dark lashes.

Rush swallowed reflexively as she made her way across the room to stand at his side, a cup of steaming instant coffee in her hand. He reached for the cup and she smacked his hand gently, mindful of his sunburned flesh, yet making her displeasure with him clear. "You are a sneaky, devious bastard," she hissed in a deceptively soft tone.

He snorted a short laugh and reached for the cup again. And again she held it just out of his reach. "So, Miss French," he said, reverting to the formal address he knew she despised. "You've come to taunt me with a cup of my favorite brew to show me how upset you are with me?" he asked sternly, the hidden smile at the corner of his lips belying the heat in his question.

Belle tilted her head to the side and regarded him silently for a moment, gnawing thoughtfully on her lower lip. "Of course not, Dr. Rush," she said with false innocence. "It's merely incentive to assure me I get what I want," she teased, stepping closer so the rich tantalizing aroma of one hundred percent Columbian assailed his nose.

His lips parted on a sigh as he took in the devilish mischief in her cerulean gaze. At the moment, he couldn't have cared less about the coffee. She was standing too close, invading his personal space…something that seemed to be becoming a habit between them…and the lure of delving his hands into her glossy chestnut locks and plundering her mouth was his greatest desire. "And…ah…just what is it you want, Miss French?" he asked, his voice a ragged whisper. He cleared his throat, inwardly cursing the tell that so readily pronounced his discomfort.

Her perfectly arched brow rose just a notch higher as her grin widened. "My hairpins, if you please," she said, holding out her hand.

He decided two could play her game and he turned back the console. "Why would you think I have them? Perhaps they fell out as you slept."

"If that were the case, they would have easily been found when I searched for them. They aren't anywhere in your room. And that's another thing," she retorted, taking a small sip of his coffee. She hid the smile threatening at her lips as his head jerked up, his eyes zeroing in on her action, nearly salivating for the aromatic beverage. "You could have sent me off to my own quarters last night. I didn't mean to chase you from your bed. Did you sleep at all?"

Warmth spread throughout his chest at her obvious concern for him and he motioned for her to turn around and give him her back. When she eyed him warily and protested, he forcibly turned her, his deft fingertips gathering the hair at her temples and carefully pulled it back, pinning it at her crown and leaving the remainder of her locks to hang loose about her shoulders. His actions so surprised her, she absently released the cup into his grip as he reached for it.

He closed his eyes as he savored the rich brew against his palate. "You didn't chase me from my bed, Belle. I had work to do and saw no reason to disturb your sleep to move you," he said, moving aside so she could scoot in beside him to study the pages of data on his screen. He ignored Eli as the boy coughed. "Besides, you sleep like the dead."

Belle snorted. "That one time doesn't count!"

He gaped at her incredulously. "You slept through an entire dissertation on the benefits the stargate program could make on—"

"Rush!"

"You were snoring," he snarked, daring her to argue.

Belle's face flamed, knowing if she didn't change the subject, he'd tease her mercilessly the rest of the day. "Fine," she acquiesced, focusing on the console. "What are we doing about unlocking the core systems? Have you had any luck thus far?"

"No, unfortunately."

"Why is power being diverted to the weapons system?" she asked, frowning down at the screen before entering several keystrokes on the keyboard to bring the system into sharper focus for her perusal. "Eli, are you doing that?"

"No, I'm cataloguing what systems we have available as opposed to those that are damaged so we know where we stand if they're needed…not that I'm saying they're going to be needed, mind you…but," Eli said, flipping through his own data.

"Well someone is messing around where they have no business. Eli, find whoever it is and have them shut down," Rush growled, draining his cup and setting it aside. _More of Young's meddling into the ship's systems, no doubt_, he thought bitterly. _The man needs to keep his nose out of the scientific aspect of this mission and leave me and my team alone to work instead of complicating matters._

__Belle laid a comforting hand on his arm and he shook himself out of his dark thoughts. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he snapped. "Let's just get back to work, shall we?"

X*X*X*X*X

Rush sipped from his cup of water and grimaced as he moved his hand to rub at the ache in his temple. The pain was growing steadily worse and it was distracting him from his work, forcing his concentration down the proverbial toilet. Destiny's power reserves were crap and only getting worse. Soon the reserves would be all but gone and then their already tenuous situation would grow dire. What was worse was that nothing he did seemed to improve it, no matter how he tried to divert it…it just wasn't there. Without access to the core systems…he didn't want to contemplate the repercussions.

His long wiry fingers moved from his temple to the knot of tension at the top of his spine, rubbing absently. It was a pointless exercise as nothing seemed to ease his pain. He couldn't have been in a fouler mood. The precious few packets of instant coffee had run out days ago, the small bottle of Advil Belle had stashed away was dwindling as he had taken to eating them at the same rate Belle gobbled down Jolly Ranchers and the colonel was on his last nerve. He'd blown off the morning meeting to discuss their supplies and the need to replenish them. He didn't think he'd be welcome even if he had chosen to attend. The consensus of the crew was that they were happiest if the doctor were far removed from them. They still resented him for opening the gate onto Destiny instead of Earth. Not that he gave a damn. Belle's opinion of him was the only one that mattered to him.

Rush tossed his notepad against the console and stormed out of the control interface room, his visage dark and dangerous. He found Dr. Park in one of the access rooms, the panel lit up before her. "I turned these systems off for a reason," he growled, pointing a finger at her.

"Dr. Rush, Colonel Young asked—"

"I don't give a bloody damn. They need to stay off!" He waited until she'd dialed back the power and switched the system off before leaving her there. He stalked down the corridor to the mess, wondering irritably if his little assistant might be there. He didn't relish having to choke down a bowl of the yellow milky protein porridge they were forced to consume twice a day, but he knew Belle would scold and cajole him unless he ate and it was less time consuming to forego her nagging.

Rush entered the mess and his mood plummeted further. Belle was sitting at a table surrounded by Lt. Scott, Greer, Eli and Chloe, seemingly enjoying the conversation with her friends. He ground his teeth together, 2surprised they didn't disintegrate into chalk. She should have been working with him this morning, and instead she was having a grand old time with the mouth-breathers she'd claimed as her friends. He beat back the green scaly jealous beast clawing at his chest and found a seat at the table with only one occupant, Camille. He never lifted his head as Becker set a bowl of the porridge before him. He could feel her curious gaze, yet he refused to give her the courtesy of acknowledging her. He knew it was petty and spiteful, but the jealous monster gnawing on his good sense refused to allow him to do anything but sulk and lick his wounds in silence. And as if things couldn't get worse, Young limped over and took the seat across from him, blocking his furtive glances at Belle beneath his lashes. _Bloody fucking wonderful!_

"I ordered you here twenty minutes ago," Young said matter-of-factly as he propped his elbows on the table.

Rush continued to eat his rations, making the man wait. "I've been working," he said, wondering how he was able to keep a civil tone. "Throughout the night, actually. Trying to find out why our power reserves are so low. I'm quite concerned and so should you be."

Young frowned. "Ok, how bad is it?"

Rush sighed in frustration as he swirled the spoon around idly in his bowl. "I haven't been able to access any of the main systems yet, so I don't know," he snapped.

"Nicholas, you look exhausted. Maybe you should take a break," Camille said, casting him a concerned look.

"Get the information we need and make some informed decisions, and we report…" Young rattled on, his voice trailing off as a hollow rattling reverberated through the mess hall and the lights began to flicker.

Rush dropped his spoon with a loud clanging into his bowl and clasped his hands before his tightly compressed lips, desperately trying to suppress the urge to yell. Finally he pointed both of his index fingers at the colonel. "Could you please stop people running around activating every bloody system they can get their hands on?"

Young nodded. "I will."

Rush picked up his bowl and let it drop back loudly against the table. "That was delicious," he snarked, sarcasm heavy in his tone. "Thank you very much." He rose from the table, his eyes briefly meeting Belle's in a heated glance before he stalked out of the mess.

X*X*X*X*X

"Eli, I said no!" Belle insisted, stepping around her friend and continuing down the corridor.

"Aw, come on, Belle," the young genius pleaded, fiddling with the Kino remote and positioning the sphere in her line of sight. "I just need you to say something about yourself. I'm compiling this footage for my documentary project. If you don't record anything, they won't know who you are."

"Who is _they_, Eli?" she asked, shoving the Kino away and arching a brow at him.

"_They_ is whoever might find the finished product," he said with a bright smile, clearly excited with his new project. "Please? You'll set a good example and encourage others to join in."

A pained expression settled on her features as she glanced skeptically at the Kino. She'd made avoiding cameras and any forms of media into an art form and here Eli wanted her to give an interview. "Eli…"

"Please!"

"FINE!" she snapped, fighting against the anxiety pooling in her chest. "My name is Belle, I'm twenty nine years old and I'm assistant to Dr. Nicholas Rush. I postponed work on my doctorate in astrophysics so I could join the Icarus project and I have an unhealthy obsession with hard fruity candies, Jolly Ranchers in particular," she said hurriedly and then cast Eli a warning glare before she stepped out of range of the device.

"That's it?" Eli asked, a crestfallen expression settling on his features.

"Eli," Belle growled in frustration as he centered the Kino directly before her. She cast a narrow eyed glare at the offending sphere. "This is not for a dating service. What I've told you is more than enough." She didn't want to disappoint the boy, but she was not going to spill all her secrets to a floating camera. Once more she stepped around the Kino and started off down the corridor.

Chloe chuckled softly as she fell into step beside her. "I see he roped you into his little project, too, huh?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I find it rather difficult to deny a man when he's practically begging on his knees," she retorted dryly, making sure her voice was loud enough to carry.

"Hey!" the boy protested, following behind his two favorite ladies, uncaring of where they were leading him.

"Eli," Chloe asked in a sweet cajoling tone. "Do you think you could show me how to use that shower you were talking about at the meeting this morning?"

"You haven't tried it yet?" Belle asked, surprised. The senator's daughter always looked so neat and well-groomed, she couldn't see how she'd managed without showering thus far. Chloe shook her head. "You really must. It's an experience you don't want to miss."

"It doesn't shoot some weird goop at you, does it?" she asked warily.

Eli programmed the Kino to follow them and dove into the topic with gusto. "No, it's like a mist and it beads up on your skin…it's really cool. Not as in cool to the touch, just really awesome. I haven't analyzed the properties of the solution yet, but I think there might be some kind of cleaning solution mixed in with the water on a molecular level."

"Would you mind showing me?" Chloe asked Eli, a hopeful expression on her lovely face. Eli, as taken as he was with the young woman, jumped at the chance to offer his assistance. "Will we see you later at dinner, Belle?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll be around…if Rush doesn't decide to make us work into the night again," she said with a wry smile.

She waved them off and continued her trek to the control interface room, dragging her feet…literally…in no hurry to be confronted with Rush's less than pleasant mood. She cursed inwardly as she turned the corner and nearly collided with Colonel Young. "Colonel, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Belle. Where are you off to?" he asked conversationally, though Belle knew it was anything but. It was more likely that he was fishing for information.

She shrugged noncommittally. "Keeping busy, Colonel. I'm on my way now to grab a Kino and inspect some of the unknown sections we haven't been able to explore yet. I'm hoping I can drag Riley away from his duties to accompany me now that Chloe has Eli occupied elsewhere and Scott and Greer are inspecting the shuttle to see if it's flight worthy." He looked at her in surprise. She cast him a secretive smile. With her network of friends, there was very little that escaped her notice. And she in turn kept Rush apprised of her vast intel.

"Belle! I _have_ to show you this," Riley said, approaching her from an alcove off the corridor. "Do you have your phone on you, by any chance?"

"Yeah, I do," she answered, pulling it from the back pocket of her jeans and handing it to her friend.

Volker stood next to a long flat plate protruding from the wall. "You're going to love this, Belle. It's the answer to a prayer."

"What is it?" she asked curiously, standing next to Riley as he laid her phone on the metal plate and flipped a switch. A low hum emitted from the device.

"Dr. Volker, just the person I wanted to see," Young said, smiling brightly at the scientist.

Dale visibly paled. "Uh-oh."

"Dr. Rush needs help solving the power issues. You've just been volunteered."

Belle arched a brow at the colonel, knowing just how Rush would react to his least favorite team member offering his services. "Colonel, that's not necessary. I'll go."

Young shook his head. "No, Belle, you've been putting in more than your fair share with Rush. You deserve a break."

"But—"

"Volker's really looking forward to it. You wouldn't want him to ignore a direct order, now would you?"

Belle pasted a falsely bright smile on her lips that in no way matched the murderous gleam in her eyes. He was being spiteful and petty, wanting only to rile Rush more than he already was and between the lack of sleep and the stress he was under due to the problem he was trying to solve, she knew it wouldn't end well for anyone involved. Poor Dale.

She turned her back on him, silently seething and Riley pressed her now fully charged phone into her hands. She gasped in surprise. "That's brilliant, Riley! Do you think you could charge Rush's laptop battery for me later?"

"Sure. Just bring it to me when you have time, Belle." He waved a hand towards the plate. "We've tweaked it to work with Earth's technology. For now we have to be careful not to leave them on the plate for too long or it fries the battery, but…not bad, huh?"

Young chuckled, relieved one of their problems had been solved, but it would have to wait for later. "It's great."

Riley beamed under the Colonel's praise. "Isn't it?"

"Turn it off," Young said.

Riley's face fell and Belle's eyes narrowed on their commanding officer with displeasure. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, Rush says we have power issues."

"But we have all these things to recharge," Riley sputtered in disappointment.

"I know, but as soon as he gives the go-ahead, you kids can go crazy. For now, help me pass the word to stop pushing buttons," he said, his tone brooking no objection. With a nod, he limped off down the corridor, her angry gaze burning into his back.

Belle felt sorry for her friend. He'd been so happy to have found something useful to do to break the monotony of monitoring the database on the gate room console. She dug a strawberry Jolly Rancher from the pocket of her jeans and pressed it into his hand. "Don't worry, Riley, we can do it later. In the meantime, you can come exploring with me."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush tossed his notepad against the console and raked both hands through his hair, a soft string of curses falling from his thin lips as the ship rattled and groaned, the lights once more flickering on and off before resuming their dim glow. He groaned as Volker tentatively stepped over the threshold of the control interface room. _Just what I fucking need now!_

"Hey, heard you could use a helper," Volker said, easing into the room.

"Well, you heard wrong," Rush snapped irritably, rubbing at his temples and the unrelenting throbbing that plagued him. His headache was steadily blossoming into a full blown migraine and his fellow scientist was only going to make it worse.

"Yeah, Young said not to take no for an answer," he said, shifting his broken arm…still in a sling…uncomfortably.

Rush didn't bother looking up from his console, grinding his teeth against the pain in his head. "If he wanted to be helpful, he would have sent Belle or Eli instead."

"Well, thank you for that, but Eli's a kid, really and Belle's just your assistant, and I'm an astrophysicist, so…" he said defensively.

Rush sighed wearily, leaning against the console and dropping his head into his hand. "Mr. Volker, I neither need, nor want your help, alright?" he snapped, trying to maintain the thin thread of control he desperately clung to.

Volker winced. "Look, he's just going to drag me right back in here, and you know it. Come on," he cajoled.

Rush sneered, but he gave in…for the moment. "Right, I'm concerned that Destiny is on the verge of losing power. Look for yourself."

Volker stepped up to the console Rush had planted himself before and made to look at the screen. Rush flung out his arm, pointing to the console to his right. The ginger-haired astrophysicist ducked his head sheepishly, a blush creeping up his neck at the silent reprimand. "This ship's been flying around for the better part of a million years."

"Don't you think I know that?!"

Volker studied the screen before him. He was knowledgeable in Ancient, but not nearly as good as Park or Belle in his translations. "So, I don't understand why all of a sudden…"

Rush stared at the man contemptuously, his voice rising. "Well, we showed up and started doing things, how about that?"

"Like what?"

_Oh this one is as thick as a dead tree stump!_ "Dialing back to Earth, for one!" he snarled.

Volker snorted and cast his superior a condescending look. "Come on, we had to try." Rush shot him a glare that should have fried him on the spot. "Look out the window, man. We're flying faster than the speed of light. How close to the end of the rope can we be?"

"You're obviously not capable of seeing the signs," Rush hissed, his eyes narrowed menacingly. He could have happily choked Young for sending the man in there just to bedevil him.

"Ok," Volker said, maintaining his soft tone. It was best to treat Rush like a wild beast when he got like this…approach with extreme caution! "Well, speaking of signs, when was the last time you slept?"

_Seriously? I don't get enough of this crap from Belle?_ "Look, if you know what you're looking for, there are clear indications that power is being channeled into life support and away from…"

Volker did the equivalent of poking the beast with a sharp pointy stick, and interrupted Rush in the middle of his tirade. "How can you know that? We're still completely locked out of the core systems."

"OUT!" Rush bellowed, the color rising in his face as he slammed his hand down on the console, glowering at the man with all the pent-up rage he'd been suppressing for the past two days.

Volker paled, realizing his mistake…too little, too late…as it were. "Okay, I'll…forget I said anything."

"NOW!"

Volker cowered behind his console. "No, I'll just work quietly."

"Well, it's too bloody late for that now, isn't it?" Rush growled, his teeth bared and his eyes flared wide. "I told him you'd be a waste of time! A waste of time that we can ill afford! If you can't see the signs staring you in the face, then you're no good to me! GET OUT!"

Belle passed Volker in the corridor, his jaw tightly set in anger as he left the control interface room. Her brows drew low over her brow as she strode into the room, concerned when she saw the high state of agitation Rush was in. "What the hell is going on in here? I could hear you yelling all the way from the mess."

Rush regarded her slyly, slowly turning his head to glare at her. "Well, well," he snarked acidly. "So nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule to join me."

Her lips parted on a stunned gasp. "What?!" She ripped the radio from her waistband and thrust it out for him to see. "I am always available to you, Rush. You haven't called for me once today. What has gotten into you?" She let her hand drop to her side, refastening the radio to her belt. Regarding him closely, the manic glint in his eyes, the tight press of his lips and the lines of pain at the corners of his eyes, alerted her that something more was going on than she'd previously thought. This outburst was more than lack of sleep or stress from his job.

He shook off her hand as she reached out and gently laid it on his forearm. "You're the one who complains when you're not _assisting _me, Miss French, yet you found it more important to dally with your soldier boys and Eli instead of being here," he snarled, jabbing a finger at the console, "where you belong!"

"Dally? Seriously, Rush?" she asked dryly…right before she smacked him in the shoulder. "Have you taken leave of your bloody senses?!"

He rubbed at his shoulder, his sable eyes flashing with venom. "No, Miss French, I happen to have full use of my faculties. And instead of having you at my side to try to resolve this issue, Young sends Volker…_fucking Volker!..._in here with his ineptitude. Apparently," he said, advancing on her, using the few inches he had on her to intimidate her. "You don't care about the mission any longer. Perhaps I should have left you there in California. If I had known you—"

"How dare you!? I'd like to know how you think you would've gotten this far without me!" she yelled, her voice rising several octaves in her anger, her cheeks flushing crimson as she held her ground. "I gave up my doctorate for you! I left the _fucking planet_ for you, Rush. If that doesn't prove my dedication, I don't know what will! I've had to put up with your brooding silences, your temper tantrums and your rants…not to mention your insane demands. I deserve your respect, you ass…not your contempt nor this irrational behavior directed towards me!"

His upper lip curled back over his teeth in a cold sneer. "No one forced you to accept the position as my assistant. If I remember correctly, you couldn't pack fast enough. You have no one to blame but yourself, Miss French. So deal with it! You're stuck with me now."

Belle poked him hard in his chest, relishing the small grunt of pain that issued from his parted lips. "That's right! I _chose_ to join you on this project and unless you want me to make your life an absolute living hell, Rush, you'd better pull yourself together. I will _not_ tolerate this from you! I've already had to put up with far too many people underestimating me in the course of my life. They took advantage with no regard for my feelings and I'll be damned if I will let it happen again." With that, she turned on her heel, wanting to be as far away from him as possible in the limited confines of the ship.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going? This isn't finished, Belle! We have work to do!" he called after her.

"When you pull your head out of your ass, come find me!"

"Belle! Belle, wait!" But she was already gone. His one ally on the whole ship, in _his_ whole universe and he'd just succeeded in pushing her away. Rush slumped against the console and grabbed his head in both hands as his migraine worsened. Now he had to come to grips that he'd hurt Belle. He'd let his jealously and stress and a myriad of other emotions goad him into hurting her. _FUCK!_

The ship groaned with a hollow grinding sound and the lights flickered and died. But this time they didn't come back on as they had before. Worse yet…Destiny dropped out of FTL. "Perfect!"

X*X*X*X*X

Belle charged into the infirmary, still seething with blinding fury. The observation deck had been occupied by several members of the crew and she hadn't wanted her dismal mood to spoil anyone's down time. She didn't feel like going to her quarters, afraid in the relative peace of her personal space she would break down in angry tears or worse…give in to the temper she normally kept hidden and break something she would later regret. Perhaps if TJ weren't too busy, talking to someone might help relieve some of her suppressed rage. It was times like these that she missed Archie and Red. She missed having someone to confide in. As much as she valued the new friendships she'd established, she still found it hard to trust. Now she felt as if she didn't have a choice. The desire to unburden herself had led her to the medic and she already felt a little better.

She drew up short when she entered the room, finding more than a few of the beds occupied. "TJ, what's going on?" she asked, stepping to her side.

TJ looked up with a weary smile as she saw her friend. "Hey, Belle, nothing to be alarmed about. Just a few of the crew suffering from withdrawals…headaches, jitters, irritability. Nothing I didn't expect with the lack of coffee and tea on board," she explained as she counted out tablets from the bottle of aspirin she held. "What's wrong; you look upset?"

"Rush," she growled. From her tone, she didn't need to elaborate, that one word saying everything TJ needed to know.

TJ bit back a chuckle, knowing Belle wouldn't appreciate her humor. "Worse than usual?"

Belle followed the medic to a secluded corner where she'd set up a small space for herself while she was working and sat down in the chair provided. "You could say that," she murmured, toying with the thin strip of material she had tied about the end of her braid.

"You want to talk about it?"

Belle hesitated for only a moment, years of keeping things to herself sticking her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "Usually his anger is directed at someone else…never at me. He's always shown me nothing but the utmost respect and for him to blow up at me when I was merely trying to help. Guh! I'm so furious with him!"

TJ's brows disappeared into her hairline. "He yelled at you?"

"Yes," she admitted with a wry twist to her lips. "Our arguments are usually very intense, but never like this. I mean…I've seen him manic before, but I'm usually able to talk him through it. He'd already run poor Dale out of the interface room. I was just trying to ask him what was wrong. I wanted to help him."

TJ reached out and covered Belle's hand with her own, her brows drawing together in a concerned frown. "Belle, he didn't—"

"Of course not!" Belle hissed, staring at the medic as if she'd lost her mind. "At least not physically. Rush isn't the violent type. He will defend himself, certainly if he has to, but he's more prone to completely take a person apart with that acerbic wit of his."

"And it usually doesn't take much to set him off. What was it this time?"

"He accused me of _dallying_ with Scott and Greer over breakfast instead of attending to my duties. I didn't linger in the mess any longer than usual and then I got right to work. Granted, it was in another part of the ship instead of the control room, but I _was_ working," she said defensively. "It sort of spiraled from there."

TJ took in the sheepish look on her friend's face and her lips bloomed into a surprised smile. "It sounds to me that perhaps he was upset more that you were seen with Scott and Greer rather than where you were working."

"What?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was jealous."

"Jealous?" Belle asked a mere second before she burst out laughing. "TJ, you know he doesn't feel that way about me. I've been his assistant for four years. I think I would've noticed if he felt something more than friendship."

The blonde shrugged. If Belle wasn't able to see the signs so blatantly evident, she wasn't sure she should try to convince her. "You're sure? Rush treats you differently than everyone else. He's softer, more patient. It could be that he cares for you and just hasn't realized it yet."

Belle waved a dismissive hand. "No, I don't think so. When I met Rush, he'd just lost his wife. He was angry all the time and the only way he felt he could cope with it was through his work. I think the only reason he tolerated me then was due to the fact that I would work equally hard to help him succeed. It took a long time to earn his trust and it just blossomed into a grudging friendship." She looked down at her hands clenched in her lap, remembering their early days when she felt as if she were walking on eggshells to keep from provoking his temper over the smallest matters. "It's hard not to lose faith when you've suffered a loss like that. I'm just glad I could be there for him."

TJ groaned inwardly, realizing Rush wasn't the only one who had strong feelings in his relationship with Belle. "Are you speaking from experience?"

Belle shrugged, catching her lip between her teeth to stop herself from spilling her guts about her life in Storybrooke. She'd locked her past away and that's where it would remain buried. "I shouldn't have yelled at him," she said, filled with remorse for making a bad situation worse.

"Four years is a long time, Belle. If the two of you moved from a good working relationship into a friendship, it's not so farfetched to think his feelings could have changed for you."

"I—" The lights flickered off and cast the room into darkness, the emergency lighting finally coming to life. "Well, crap!" Belle said, sighing in irritation.

TJ groaned and rushed over to reassure several of her patients. Belle remained where she was, imagining the temper tantrum Rush must be pitching in the control interface room at the loss of power. She debated whether or not she should try to find him and see if she could help somehow, but decided against it. Even though she felt guilty about giving in to her anger, she was still hurt that he'd taken out his frustrations on her.

"What do you think happened to the power?" the medic asked as she resumed her seat. "And better yet, will Rush be able to fix it?"

"I don't know," Belle answered truthfully, her eyes straying to the door of the infirmary as she fought to remain seated. She refused to run to Rush and offer her assistance after the way he'd yelled at her. He could come to her when he'd calmed down. "He's been working the problem, but I don't know if this is going to be something easily repaired. There's still so much we're learning about the ship."

Colonel Young's voice was amplified as it came across both Belle's and TJ's radios simultaneously, interrupting their conversation. "TJ we could use a medic in the gate room," he said, his voice nearly drowned out by Rush yelling in the background.

"Was that Rush?" TJ asked Belle, but the woman had already dashed for the exit. She sighed and grabbed her medical kit to follow, taking Belle's swift exit as a yes.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle raced to the gate room, winding her way through the darkened corridors and praying she wouldn't run into anyone in her haste. Volker and Young were standing over a prone Rush, looking at one another as if wondering what to do.

She pushed Volker aside and dropped down next to Rush, her hands fluttering uselessly as she looked for wounds. "What happened? What did you do to him?" she accused, glaring at the two men over her shoulder.

"We didn't do anything to him, Belle. He was ranting…not an unusual occurrence," Volker muttered under his breath. "…and he just collapsed."

She dismissed them from her thoughts now that she was sure they hadn't harmed him in any way and smoothed her hand over his brow. "Rush, can you hear me?" she asked, leaning close to his ear, worry evident in her soft voice. She should have trusted her instincts earlier, having known something was wrong, instead of losing her temper with the man. "Rush, please…open your eyes. I won't even get mad if you yell at me again."

TJ came in and knelt at his other side, pulling the necessary equipment from her bag to examine him. "It's alright, Belle," she said soothingly, wrapping a blood pressure cuff about his bicep.

"What the hell is wrong with him, TJ?" the colonel asked. "Did he have some kind of mental break?"

Belle flashed him an icy look. "You don't have to sound so bloody hopeful, Colonel," she fairly snarled at the man.

TJ shook her head. "No, it's been happening all morning. People are suffering caffeine and nicotine withdrawals. Belle, how much coffee does he drink? Does he still smoke?" she asked, trying to remember clearly what little she knew about the scientist.

"He cut back on smoking once we joined the Icarus project and his trips back to Earth to buy more were limited, but he drinks more coffee than any one person should. If I didn't make him eat on a regular basis, he'd consume _nothing_ but coffee," she admitted with a wry smirk.

TJ removed the cuff and stored it back in her bag. "His blood pressure and heart rate are elevated, but not dangerously so. When was the last time he slept?"

Belle snorted derisively. "Rush, sleep? Seriously? The man thinks he's a cyborg and therefore not required to sleep. He'll pass out over the console before he willingly takes himself off to bed.. It's probably more than thirty six hours since the last time he slept."

"I thought it was one of your jobs to make certain he did," the colonel said dryly, leaning heavily on his crutch as he addressed Belle.

Belle gnashed her teeth together, not bothering to look at the smirking man. She sat back on her heels, absently carding her fingers through Rush's hair as she watched his face for any signs he might be returning to consciousness. "Performing miracles is not in my job description."

"What do you propose, TJ?" Young asked. "We can't just leave him in the gate room."

"Between the stress, the withdrawals and the lack of sleep, he needs rest," she said, packing up her kit.

He shook his head, mumbling, "That man is a lot of work." He retrieved the radio from his belt. "Sergeant Greer, could you please come to the gate room. Dr. Rush requires assistance to his quarters."

Greer snickered over the open channel, but otherwise held his comments. "On my way, sir."

"Belle, I need to check on my other patients. I'll come by later and check on him, ok?" she asked, rising to her feet. Belle nodded, thankful for her friend.

Greer arrived shortly and took in the situation with a rather pleased smile. He bent over the prone doctor and hoisted him over his shoulder. With a grin, he turned his attention to Rush's assistant and gestured towards the door of the gate room. "Lead on, Miss Belle."

Belle ignored the colonel as she led Greer out of the gate room and down the correct corridor that would lead them to Rush's quarters. "What are you smiling about, Ronald?" she asked, arching a brow in his direction. "You don't have to look so pleased by Dr. Rush's misfortune."

"I didn't say a word," he said with a chuckle.

She made a noise of displeasure at the back of her throat as she palmed the lock and preceded him into the room. Greer dumped him unceremoniously on the bed and she smacked him in the shoulder. "Not so rough! I swear, Ronald, you don't have a gentle bone in your body," she scolded.

"Aw, he'll be alright, Miss Belle. You worry too much."

She fussed over Rush, plumping the pillow beneath his head and assuring herself she'd made him as comfortable as possible before she turned to Greer. "Be that as it may, he's a human being…not a sack of grain." She led him out and watched him make his way down the corridor before going to her own quarters to retrieve one of the few paperback novels she'd had stuffed into her rucksack.

Returning to his quarters, she curled up on the sofa and toyed with the frayed edges of the cover as she watched her boss. He'd finally pushed himself too hard and would now have to suffer the consequences. She set the book on the small table next to the sofa and sighed, realizing the emergency lighting wasn't going to be enough to read by. Wearily she laid her head against the cushioned armrest and closed her eyes, determined to be with him when he woke. She couldn't very well get any work done with no power and she didn't fancy wandering about in the dark. A few hours of sleep would probably do her good.

X*X*X*X*X

"Belle, it's TJ, come in."

Belle set her hairbrush down on the low table by the sofa in Rush's quarters and reached for her radio. She ran her fingers through the still damp chestnut locks, freshly scrubbed from her shower. Thankfully, the showers worked on a different system and weren't affected by Destiny's loss of power. She'd donned a clean pair of black yoga pants and a thin pale cream colored cashmere sweater and a flat pair of her favorite strappy sandals. The familiar clothes had been chosen for comfort when she'd packed them in a space bag and dropped them in her rucksack months ago and now she was happy to have them with her.

She turned the volume down on her radio so as not to disturb Rush and pressed the com button. "Yeah, TJ, I'm here," she answered.

"I'm sorry I haven't been to check in on Dr. Rush. He still sleeping?" the medic asked, concern evident in her soft tone.

"Yeah, he's still out…although he's been a bit restless for the past hour or so. He should be waking soon, I expect."

TJ sighed, sounding uncomfortable of a sudden. "I hate to ask, Belle, because I know how badly Dr. Rush needs to rest, but I need you to wake him. Colonel Young needs to see him as soon as possible over here in the shuttle. It's important."

Belle's lips turned up in a faint smile as her gazed raked over Rush's sleeping form on the big bed. "No, TJ, it's alright. You know he's going to be a veritable bear because we've let him sleep for so long as it is. We'll be there shortly."

"Thanks, Belle. TJ out."

She rose from the sofa and rubbed her clammy palms nervously against her outer thighs as she inched herself towards the bed. She didn't know how Rush would react to her presence after the abominable argument they'd had earlier, but there was no other recourse. He'd be more cantankerous than usual if she let him sleep and he missed out on something important regarding the ship.

She eased onto the edge of the bed to sit next to him, her hip pressing gently against his side and she had to quell the tingle that seemed to ripple over her flesh as it radiated from the spot where their bodies touched. _Get a grip, you goose!_ she scolded inwardly as she reached out timidly and rested her hand against his chest. She smiled as she felt the steady beat of his heart beneath her palm. Unable to find it in her to move, her gaze swept over his face, noting the dark circles ringing his eyes and the five o'clock shadow that darkened his jaw. If he continued to disregard simple matters such as eating, sleeping and showering, his health was going to decline and then he'd be no good to anyone. Not that she cared whether anyone else benefited from his genius, but she knew their mission would be doomed to failure without him. _I need him_, she thought ruefully, admitting it to herself finally. She'd just need to make sure he put forth a better effort to take care of himself whether he liked it or not.

Belle brushed a lock of hair away from his brow, reveling in the softness as the strands caressed her fingers. She took a long moment to take advantage, gently massaging her digits over his scalp before finding her voice. "Rush, time to wake up," she murmured softly. "Come on, Rush."

Her hand drifted from his temple and down along his stubbled jaw, cradling it gently. She started slightly as he covered her hand with his own callused palm, pressing it firmly to his face as he turned his head and nuzzled into her touch. She felt a blush creep up her neck to settle in her face as his lips brushed against the sensitive flesh of her palm and she wasn't certain if the small moan that echoed in the room came from him…or her. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and her heart clenched painfully as she wondered if he were dreaming of his dearly departed wife. He'd suffered so much, and she felt it somehow wrong that his subconscious couldn't give him peace even in his dreams.

"Belle…" he sighed softly, his lips pressing a kiss to her palm.

Her eyes flared wide and her lips parted on a gasp as her name fell from his lips. _Wait! What?!_ But she didn't have long to contemplate as his sable eyes flew open to meet her startled gaze. He sat up swiftly, bringing himself face to face with her, his lips mere inches from her own. She raised her free hand, the one not trapped in his strong grip, and carded it through the hair over his left ear, fairly drowning in deep pools of sable as he held her gaze. What could he have possibly been dreaming if he was reacting to her like this?

His arm curled around her waist, pulling her closer with a groan, her chest pressing gently into his. "Belle…"

It dawned on her then that he must still be disoriented from sleep and she could have screamed in frustration. He didn't know what he was doing, still wrapped in the haze between waking and dreaming. It just wouldn't be fair to him if she used his vulnerability to her advantage…it really wouldn't. Yet, she had that little voice niggling at the back of her mind that reminded her how much she'd enjoyed the brief kiss they'd shared days ago in the maintenance corridor. That same voice pecked at her mind cajoling her to take what she wanted and there was no denying that she wanted Nicholas Rush…the desire churning in her blood was testament to that.

_Hell! I'm only human._ Her hand slid around the back of his neck and pressed gently into the knot of tension at the top of his spine, just beneath his nape, urging him forward and closing the distance between them. Her lips closed over his and she marveled at how perfectly they fit together. She forced back her raging desire, contenting herself with acquainting herself with the shape and texture of his lips, afraid if she moved too far too fast she'd break something between them. His hand tightened almost imperceptively against hers as he continued to hold it to his cheek, his lips parting beneath hers and a low rumble of pleasure sounding low in his throat.

That sound encouraged her, a confirmation that he wasn't averse to her advances. Oh how she wanted to deepen the kiss, to slide her tongue into his mouth to taste, to savor, to explore and it was with great restraint that she settled for soft nibbling kisses. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to take that leap into a deeper relationship with him, still so afraid to risk her heart, but she couldn't continue to fight her attraction for the man. She'd wanted him for far too long. Just one taste would never be enough, but it was a start. "How did…you sleep?" she whispered against his mouth between kisses.

Rush tensed beneath her gentle touch and his eyes were wide as he drew away from her, dropping his hands to his lap as he took in his surroundings. "Oh, Belle, I'm so sorry. I—"

She pressed a finger to his lips, cutting off what was sure to be a long drawn out apology. "Hush. You've done nothing wrong," she said, smiling shyly.

His tongue snaked out to wet his lips, almost as if he were trying to catch the last hint of her taste on his lips. "Belle…I shouldn't…"

She darted forward and pressed another soft kiss to his lips, her actions meant to assure him that he hadn't done anything she was opposed to. Reaching out towards the nightstand to his left, she retrieved a cup of water she'd set there for him when he woke and popped the cap on the bottle of Advil she kept beside it, shaking out two of the pills into her palm. "Here, take these," she said, placing the items in his hands.

She cast him a pleased smile when he did as she asked without his usual complaints. "How did I get here?" he asked, his voice hoarse and raspy from his prolonged sleep.

"Greer brought you here for me. I doubt I could have managed on my own," she teased. "You passed out for a little while."

He dropped back against his pillow again, his head spinning. He lifted a hand, heavy with weariness and rubbed at the painful throbbing in his temple. "How long?"

Belle pressed the tiny button on the side of her dainty gold watch and the face lit up with a faint blue glow. "About ten hours."

"Has anything happened?" he asked, reluctant to meet her gaze.

"Not since we lost power." She took the empty cup and refilled it from the canteen before pressing it back into his hands. "You haven't missed a thing. How do you feel?"

He raised up on an elbow and drank greedily from the cup. "Embarrassed."

"Don't be, Rush. TJ said you're going through caffeine and nicotine withdrawals. It's to be expected," Belle said, fidgeting with a loose thread on the duvet. "You're not the only one suffering from the effects. So are about a dozen others."

"You weren't there, Belle. I was a complete raving lunatic," he said with a sneer of disgust. "Young probably wants to toss me out of the nearest airlock."

Belle ducked her head, watching him carefully from beneath her lashes. "Worse than our own little blow up in the control room?"

At that subtle reminder, he was instantly filled with remorse. He sat up again and took her hands in his. "Belle, I'm sorry. Despite the withdrawals, it's still not a suitable excuse for my actions. Not with you." He added that last in a tone fraught with emotion and she felt her belly twist in a knot of longing.

"Humph," she murmured. "Indeed, it wouldn't be a good idea to alienate the only person on board who likes you," the teasing tone back in her voice as she leaned on the arm she had braced near his right hip and reached up to brush the hair away from his eyes.

He couldn't bite back the half-moon grin that pulled up his lips. "You like me?"

"You know I do, you stubborn Scottish ass," she whispered softly, her eyes twinkling with affection. "But I'm still a bit peeved with you."

"Belle…"

"You should have told me," she scolded gently. "I could have helped you. There's nothing I could have done for the lack of coffee or cigarettes, but there are other things I could have done to help ease your pain. I'm quite adept at soothing ravaging beasts."

"Are you now?" he asked, arching a dubious brow at her.

"I am. Perhaps after this latest crisis is overcome, I might show you. But for now, we have to go. I was going to let you sleep until you woke on your own…probably the first real sleep you've had since we came on board…but the colonel wants to show you something," she said, rising unsteadily to her feet. "Then when he's done, we can grab something to eat…as much as I abhor that sludge we're forced to choke down…and you can shower. This power shortage has one small advantage," she rambled, tossing him his boots.

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"You can take care of everything you've been neglecting on a personal level." She turned, all hints of her teasing banished from her face. "I won't have you collapsing again because you fail to take care of yourself, Rush. I…ah…I don't want to…I _can't_…do this without you. This is _our_ mission."

The breath hitched painfully in his chest as he witnessed the determination and concern for him on her lovely features. Something had shifted in their relationship and there was no way he was going to let this new opportunity to have things grow between them pass him by. "I'm not going anywhere, Belle. I promise."

X*X*X*X*X

Young turned to greet them as they entered the shuttle. "Come on in, you two."

Belle was rather surprised at his seemingly good mood, all things considered, but quickly dismissed it from her mind as she caught the view from the cockpit windows. "Nice," she said, taking in the giant Red Dwarf in their path.

"Orbital insertion trajectory?" he asked of no one in particular.

Lt. Scott grinned. "That was my first thought."

Greer nudged him in the shoulder. "I thought your first thought was we were gonna fly into the damn thing," he joked.

Scott cast him an irritated glance, but otherwise ignored him, giving Rush his full attention. ""No, sir. I'm guessing we'll get close enough to kiss, but not enough for capture."

Belle inched closer to the window, absolutely fascinated by the view before her. Never in her wildest imagination had she ever thought she'd see something she'd only read about in her books. It was all too incredible.

"An aero-braking maneuver?" Rush asked, stepping behind her and bracing a hand on either side of her hips on the window. He rested his chin on her shoulder and grinned, whispering so only she could hear. "You're going to catch flies, Miss French," he teased.

Belle snapped her gaping mouth shut with an audible pop and smirked at him over her shoulder.

Scott continued. "Well, the math's over my head, but yeah, we should come out of a slingshot somewhere in-system."

Rush moved away from Belle and inspected the panel before him with someone's idea of sticky notes full of translations for the corresponding buttons and switches. "Where there are habitable planets," he said, his sharp mind still on the conversation going on around him.

"Well, we're still too far out to know if they're anything more than rocks," Colonel Young said, leaning wearily on his crutch. "But we found three candidates before Big Bertha here filled up the sky."

"So this trajectory is no accident, then?" Belle asked, her curious gaze swinging between the two officers.

"Apparently not, but we'll know for sure once we're clear."

Scott checked his watch. "Which'll be in six minutes."

Rush peeled off the translations and raised a condescending brow at Scott and Young. "Who translated this? You know it's completely backwards." No one bothered to answer so he turned back to the console and replaced the sticky notes in the correct position.

Scott shared Belle's obvious excitement over the upcoming slingshot maneuver the ship would be making in mere minutes. "Well, pull up a chair, sir. This'll be a show you don't want to miss."

Rush urged Belle into the co-pilot's seat and took the pilot's seat for himself, wanting her near to hand so he didn't have to worry unnecessarily for her safety. He would have plopped her firmly in his lap if it wouldn't have raised questions he wasn't prepared to answer. Whatever was beginning between them was no one's business but their own and he didn't want to start idle gossip. "There's going to be some severe turbulence when we contact the atmosphere," he said, strapping himself in.

Young turned to exit the shuttle. "I'll pass the word."

"Colonel," Rush said, stopping the man before he could leave. "About our previous conversation…"

"Rush, no need to apologize," Young said, cutting the scientist off.

Rush snorted. "I wasn't about to. I'm trying to explain I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms…"

Again the colonel cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I know all about it." He made his way down the ramp, Greer falling into step beside him. "Man's a lot of work," he commented dryly. "Lot of work."

Rush reached over and assured himself Belle was firmly strapped into her seat. "Don't be afraid, Belle," he said softly, offering her his hand should she wish his support through the upcoming maneuver.

She turned her bright cerulean eyes on him, excitement gleaming within their depths and linked her fingers with his. "I'm not. This is going to be amazing," she fairly squealed.

He shook his head, grinning at her exuberance as the ship rumbled and shook beneath them.

"Thirty seconds to contact. Hang on!" Scott said, his voice rising to be heard over the groaning of the ship.

Belle gripped tightly to Rush's hand as the ship picked up speed. The turbulence made her stomach roil with a mixture of fear and excitement, but she had faith in Destiny to hold together and see them safely to the other side. She had nothing to compare the feeling of hurtling through space at breakneck speed to, but she knew she'd never forget it. And then they were through and back out into the vastness of space, two of the three planets Scott had mentioned clearly visible. The third was still out of range.

"Whoooo!" the lieutenant whooped. "Hell of a ride, huh?"

Rush huffed a short laugh and settled his gaze on the screen embedded into the panel. "Yes, yes it was." He gave Belle's hand one last comforting squeeze before releasing her. "Now, let's find these planets you were talking about."

Scott pointed out the shuttle window. "There they are, dead ahead."

"Yes, we should be able to analyze the atmosphere of the nearest planet within a few hours."

Belle unbuckled her harness and moved to stand behind his seat so she could view the data displayed on his screen. "Oh no."

"What?" Scott asked, not liking the worried note in Belle's voice.

TJ moved to his other side, her brow wrinkling. "Problems?"

Rush sighed. "Our trajectory has changed. The planet has altered Destiny's course more than we'd hoped."

Young came back into the shuttle in time to hear Rush's declaration. "What are you talking about, Rush? Lieutenant, what the hell's he talking about?"

Belle turned to level him with a grim stare over her shoulder before gesturing to the view through the window. "Destiny's on a collision course with a star, Colonel. We're going to fly right into it."

**A/N: well, I really hope you all enjoyed this week's installment. I'm having so much fun writing it for you. Would really love for you to let me know what you think.**

**Ok, I don't usually plug fics in my a/n, but I read this one last week and I just really really enjoyed it…DÉJÀ VU by Billiebongvilla…I recommend it to all you SGU/OUAT Rushbelle readers out there. It can be found on AO3. If you get a chance definitely give it a go! It's a WIP, but don't let that deter you (o:**

**Thanks so much to this week's reviewers: MagdelenaP, Twyla Mercedes and cynicsquest. You guys rock!**


	5. Light

**Disclaimer: Yeah…still don't own SGU. Neither do I own "Fall" by Clay Walker but it really fit well into the scene about midway through the chapter. Hope you like it. If you're not familiar with the song, check it out on the music channel of your choice. **

Chapter Five: Light

The gate room was cold and dark, illuminated only by emergency lighting and the artificial glow of a few flashlights. Everyone had been gathered, both civilian and military personnel alike, to hear the colonel's news. The man's face was grim as he stepped out onto the balcony opposite the stargate and began to slowly descend the stairs, halting halfway down so that he could hold a position where everyone could see and hear him.

Rush crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his shoulder against the cold stargate at the rear of the room. Belle stood at his side, pale and trembling slightly as she toyed with the wrapper of a Jolly Rancher she'd yet to discard. He didn't care to be there for the colonel's announcement. He knew what Everett was going to say, had helped to prepare his speech. His presence there was unnecessary. He and Belle could be in the shuttle, running the numbers again to make sure they weren't mistaken.

His arms tightened about his torso as he watched Belle surreptitiously from the corner of his eye. His skin itched as he took in the slight tremor of her hands and he longed to pull her into his arms and offer her comfort. However, he wasn't quite brave enough to openly display his affection for her in a room full of his peers who would scorn him for taking advantage of the situation to prey on his little assistant's fragile emotions. He knew they all thought him a bastard, blamed him for stranding them all there, but he couldn't have cared less. Belle was his primary concern.

It used to be enough that he had her by his side, working and striving forever forward to attain their goals, enough to have her friendship, her companionship. She challenged him at every turn, bringing a new perspective to his life. Now he found himself wanting her for more than just her brilliant mind…now he wanted her body, her heart and yes, even a little piece of her soul. He'd thought he loved her before they had started the Icarus project, but it was nothing compared to what he felt for her now. It was as if once leaving Earth, she'd gained confidence, a new sense of self and it intrigued him, drove him to find out more of what made her tick.

His eyes skimmed appreciatively over the soft curls cascading over her shoulders and the itch returned to his clammy skin as he yearned to twine his fingers in the long strands. He'd never thought she'd care for him as more than a friend. She hadn't kissed him as if she regarded him as such, no matter how desperately she'd been holding back. He'd practically been able to feel the desire humming beneath her pale skin. Imminent death, however was not conducive to romance. The dynamic of their relationship had changed before they'd discovered Destiny's new path, though, so he knew the shift had nothing to do with their impending doom. On some level…it might only be physical…she cared for him. He wanted to rail at the heavens for making him realize it too late, his chance to court her affections snatched cruelly away because of the ship's changed trajectory. _Fucking hell!_

Rush focused on Young as he called for attention, the crowd falling silent. "You've all heard about our situation. I'm going to repeat the facts so that we are all clear," he began, leaning back wearily against the railing of the staircase. "In just a day this ship will fly into a star. Now, we have no power to change its course. We have no idea how to steer the ship. Even if we did, we are having another bad day."

"We can always depend on Young to state the obvious," Belle mumbled under her breath, sidling closer to Rush. Her comment was drowned out by the crowd as they murmured their agreement with the colonel's words, but she knew Rush had heard her by the wry twist of his lips.

Young waited for the crowd to fall silent once more before he continued. "So, here's what we're gonna do. We have a working shuttle. We think there are three planets out there that might be habitable. Now, we _think_…we _believe_…that it's no coincidence that Destiny dropped out of FTL in this solar system, to give us a chance. Once we know for sure that there is a planet out there for us, we are going to have a lottery.

The murmuring and gasps of surprise rose in urgency and the colonel had to raise his voice to be heard over the din. "We will draw the names of fifteen people."

Brody stared up belligerently at the colonel, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. "The shuttle can hold twice that many."

Scott shifted his rifle and looked down at the assembled crew, his eyes searching out the engineer on Rush's science team. "Not once it's been loaded up with supplies. Besides there's only life support for seventeen, max." The people below cast him a skeptical look, and he had to grit his teeth in irritation. He'd spent the better part of the last twenty four hours inspecting and familiarizing himself with the shuttle. He knew what he was talking about.

Belle continued to twist the thin piece of cellophane nervously in her hands. There was still so much work to be done and her time would be better served elsewhere instead of standing there listening to the nervous chatter of her fellow crew members. "Rush, this is so unnecessary. I—"

"Belle," he said in a low whisper of warning. He knew she was anxious to leave the gate room so they could continue their argument, but at the moment their place was there.

She clenched her teeth and tossed him a bright smile that didn't come close to the heat in her eyes. Rush stifled a snort at her theatrics and turned back to their commanding officer.

"I will be choosing two of the people myself—two people with the necessary skills to fly the shuttle and survive on the planet," Everett said, leaning heavily on his crutch as his dark eyes scanned the crowd.

"Yeah, I bet I can guess who they are." Spencer sneered cynically at his superior. Belle glowered at the marine sergeant from her place in the shadows, never having liked the man's tendency to buck the system. He'd chosen to be a marine, the least he could do was obey his superior officer and keep his mouth shut.

Belle pressed into Rush's side so she could whisper in his ear. He shivered as her warm breath fanned against the damp flesh of his neck. "Things are about to get ugly. Can we go _now_?"

"No!" he hissed, exasperated with her defiance to his orders…and the colonel's orders… _Face it. Belle doesn't take orders from anyone and to think that she will is living in the land of delusion._

Belle pursed her lips into a moue of displeasure, but held her tongue and turned back to hear the rest of the colonel's speech. Young walked down the remaining stairs and limped to the front of the crowd, his mouth drawn in a tight line of pain. He stared Spencer down with a hard expression for several tense seconds. "I'll be taking _my_ name out of the lottery. Anyone who wants to join me, keep talking." His bold statement brought an end to the nervous chatter going on about the room. "We're still several hours away from knowing if the first two are even habitable, so I suggest you all go back to your quarters and wait it out. That's all I have for now."

Rush remained where he was, silently surveying the crowd as they began to disperse. He was happy to remain unnoticed from his position next to the gate, but Belle was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Now we can go," he said with a tired sigh, rubbing his hand over his nape to ease away some of the tension as he led her around the back of the gate and through a door little used by the crew.

She fell into step beside him as they gained the corridor, sneaking glances at the tight set of his jaw from the corner of her eye. "Rush, this is an unnecessary endeavor and you know it."

He glanced down at her, but never broke his stride as they made their way to the shuttle bay. "What are you talking about?"

"We don't know if _any_ of the three planets are even going to be habitable. What if we're sending these people off to an uncertain future on a world they won't be able to survive on? They should remain here on Destiny," she said, digging a Jolly Rancher from her pocket and popping it into her mouth.

"Belle, you don't know that. We have to give these people their best chance at survival. We'll know more once we can run diagnostics. We should be close enough now to be able to get a clear reading," he said, stepping onto the shuttle and moving to sit in the pilot's seat to access the shuttle's computer.

"I just don't think Destiny came this far to perish in the corona of a star, Rush," she insisted sulkily as she plopped down heavily in the copilot's seat and focused on the console before her. She hated it when he dismissed her ideas out of hand.

Rush closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, the pressure behind his lids nearly unbearable. "We won't be able to convince the colonel to change his mind based on a hunch."

Belle grumbled something about stubborn scots under her breath and cleared the screen before her. Instead of trying to take readings on the planets they were nearing, she pulled up the data on Destiny's failed systems in an effort to learn if her theory held water. Only when she had factual scientific proof before her would Rush give her his undivided attention.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle tsked as she leaned back in the chair and stretched her arms languorously over her head, unable to suppress the yawn that built with the release of the tension in her limbs. Rush glanced up at her with a blank look, his broken glasses hovering over his notepad as he double checked his calculations.

"I told you all those hard candies were eventually going to stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth," he deadpanned, trying once more to focus on the slightly blurred numbers written on the lined pages.

Belle huffed a small chuckle and smiled. "No, Rush. That's not why I clucked at you. If you had bothered to look in your toiletries kit, you would have found your spare pair of glasses instead of continuing to use the broken pair."

"I don't own a spare pair," he said, arching a brow at her.

She lowered her jewel bright eyes sheepishly. "Yeah, you do. I might have ordered a second pair from the optometrist before we left for Icarus…just in case," she said, peeking at him from beneath her lashes. "Would you like me to fetch them for you?" Her skin itched with the need to escape the shuttle before his penetrating gaze dug down too deep and discovered all her secrets.

"Ah...no, no, that won't be necessary. There's no need for you to run off to the other side of the ship and another level down just to get my glasses…especially since you seemed to have settled in so well," he said, a teasing smirk playing at his lips. He set his glasses and notepad aside on the console and leaned back in his chair, absently stroking the stubble on his chin as he met her gaze. "Belle, why do you always have that bag with you? What were you running from?" he asked, softly, cursing inwardly as he watched her visibly tense.

Her hands tightened on the armrests of her chair, her fingertips white and bloodless from the pressure she was exerting. The _thump_ _thump_ of the colonel's crutch sounded as he entered the shuttle and Belle was able to breathe a sigh of relief over the interruption.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you radioed me?" Everett said, glancing between Belle and Rush with a quizzical frown.

Rush tore his dark eyes away from Belle, the last look he'd given her promising that he'd demand an answer later, and gave the colonel his full attention. "Ah, yes. The first planet is too cold, frozen methane. The second is too hot. The third…well that happens to be behind the star at the moment, too far away to determine habitability."

Young nodded, frowning. "When will we know?"

"It doesn't matter. We don't have any choice. We're going to have to launch the shuttle before we can get close enough. The odds are good, though. Its orbit is in between the other two—the Goldilocks Zone, they call it."

Belle grinned ruefully. "Not too hot and not too cold."

Rush smiled warmly at her. "Yeah. Just right."

Young leaned back against the support bar at his back and sighed. "What if we use the engines from the shuttle to push the Destiny off course?"

Rush huffed a mirthless laugh. "That's a good thought, but I'm afraid we've already run the numbers and without getting into delta-V and thrust-to-weight ratios, then…"

"Not a chance then." He paused a moment, letting the hopelessness of the situation seep into his being. "Well, when do we launch the shuttle?"

"We could wait a few more hours, but the extra time - I don't think it's gonna give us any more information than we already have." His gaze met Belle's, feeling her eyes watching him closely. "Belle, could you give me a moment with the colonel?"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But—"

"Please, Miss French," he replied, his tone brooking no objection despite the softness of it. He wouldn't start a heated argument with her in the presence of the colonel. If his decision was going to spark a fight between them, it would be better to be held in private. Even with mere hours left to live he couldn't bring himself to incite gossip about them that would spread all over the ship.

Belle was seething with resentment as she rose from her chair and stormed past Young. She didn't go far, Rush was sure and he kept his voice low and even to prevent it from carrying to the corridor beyond the shuttle bay. "Colonel Young, if by chance, you were thinking of choosing me as one of the two…please don't."

Young stared at him in disbelief. "Why?"

Rush sighed, taking a moment to search for the right words. "This ship…coming here…was _my_ destiny. My life's work was to be here, not trying to survive on some rock with a bunch of strangers. In fact, you can take my name off the lottery altogether. It will also give Miss French a better chance of being chosen."

Young studied the scientist for several tense seconds before nodding, the look on his face showing clearly that he had a newfound respect for the man.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle was waiting for Young when he stepped out of the shuttle bay. "Colonel—"

"I'm sorry, Belle, but I won't divulge Dr. Rush's confidence any more than you would," he said, starting to make his way down the corridor to prepare for the lottery.

She fell into step beside him with a roll of her eyes. "No, of course not," she scoffed. "Besides I probably already know what he had to say to you. I wanted to talk to you about another matter."

"And what would that be?" he asked wearily, the motion of his every step sending a shooting pain through his back and right leg.

"I did some research into Destiny's database while Dr. Rush was doing diagnostics on the planets we're approaching. I am of the firm belief that those chosen to take the shuttle will have a better chance if they remain on Destiny," she explained. "The last of our power reserves were diverted into the ship's life support system. Our oxygen output due to the scrubbers and ventilation system only account for a small part. Ninety percent went into our shields. I believe they will hold."

Everett stopped and bestowed an indulgent smile upon her, making her want to gnash her teeth. "Belle, we're talking about thousands of degrees…"

"Fifteen point seven million degrees Celsius…give or take…if it's anything like the sun from the Milky Way Galaxy," she said, her inner nerd coming to the fore. "But that's beside the point, Colonel. Destiny was launched millions of years ago and has traveled through more galaxies than we can count. How can we think this hasn't happened before?"

Young sighed and raked a hand through his short cropped dark hair. "What is Rush's theory on the subject?"

Belle winced, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip. She'd been expecting him to ask, but it didn't make it any easier to answer. "We're at odds on the subject. He believes the trajectory was skewed due to our encounter with the gas giant and the aero-braking maneuver around the planet. The odds of the shields holding being below seventy five percent makes him twitchy," she admitted ruefully. "And he never listens to me."

Everett had to bite the inside of his cheek to retain his stoic expression when he wanted to chuckle. "I'm sorry, Belle, but I can't take the chance if even Rush is hesitant. We will proceed with the lottery."

Belle had to quell the urge to stamp her foot. "But, Colonel—"

"I'm sorry, Belle. Was there anything else?" he asked, turning to continue down the corridor.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I want you to remove my name from the lottery," she said, her chin rising defiantly, daring him to argue with her.

Young gaped at her incredulously. "Belle, you don't know what you're saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying, Everett," she said gently, using his given name. They weren't civilian and military any longer, but rather just two human beings. "He asked you to take his name out too, didn't he?"

Young nodded, shifting uncomfortably under her knowing gaze.

"This ship is important to me…to both of us. I have faith in her to bring us through," she said, laying a hand over his on the handle of his crutch. As much as she might dislike the man, she was hoping he would empathize with her.

"Rush wants you on that shuttle. He'll be furious to hear you asked me to remove your name from the drawing," he said, clearing his throat.

"It's my decision. No one decides my fate but me, Colonel…not even Rush," she stated vehemently.

"What's going on here?" Rush asked, rounding the corner and coming upon them as they faced off. "Belle?"

Young sighed and smiled tightly. "I'll do as you asked, Belle, but I'll leave you to explain to Dr. Rush."

"Gee thanks, Colonel," she drawled in a dry tone as he limped off in the direction of the gate room, chuckling in amusement as he went.

She'd made it maybe three steps when Rush's warm callused hand lightly gripped her elbow, pulling her to a halt. "What were you speaking with the colonel about?" he asked, searching her face. It was never a good sign when she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Was it about your theory that the shields will hold?"

Belle pulled out of his hold and continued down the corridor, making her way to the observation deck and leaving him to follow. She was still irritated that he had blown off her idea just because there wasn't enough scientific evidence to support her claim. Or rather the odds she'd presented him weren't enough to have him side with her. "I just thought he should be informed."

"That's a first," he snarked, coming to stand at her side at the railing, taking in the vast length of Destiny as it neared the star. "Belle, don't be angry. You know I couldn't—"

"Yeah, I know, Rush," she said, wearily leaning her palms against the railing and hanging her head to gather her composure, letting the anger drain out of her. "He's proceeding with the lottery."

Rush lowered his eyes, tearing his gaze away from the vista before him. "You should go pack your bag and get to the gate room. You…ah…you don't want to be late for the drawing," he said, his voice raspy with emotion at the thought of being separated from her.

"No, I don't think I will," she said softly, waiting patiently for the explosion of his temper that was sure to follow. "I'm not leaving Destiny and I've made my intentions clear to the colonel. He wasn't pleased with my decision, but there's nothing he can do about it."

"What?!"

And there it was, she thought with a small huff of mirthless laughter. "Rush—" He didn't give her a chance to explain, protest or in any way voice her opinion. He simply wrapped his hand about her wrist and pulled her along behind him towards the open door of the observation deck. "Rush…Rush stop!" she objected heatedly, digging in her heels and jerking her arm out of his grasp. "Nicholas!"

The use of his given name brought him up short and he whirled on her, reaching for her once again in his determination to save her. "What are you thinking?" he hissed angrily. "You have just as much chance to secure a seat on that shuttle as anyone else. I'll not have you toss it away on some misguided sense of duty."

Belle planted her hands firmly on her hips and glared at him defiantly. "It's not your choice! Why should you get to withdraw your name and then refuse to allow me to do the same?" she asked, firm in her belief that she was right.

His lips curled over his teeth in a sneer. "Young told you?"

"No, he didn't. I know you, Rush. I know how you feel about this ship because I feel the same. Since we've come aboard, we've faced one crisis after another, yet for the first time in more years than I care to count…I feel as if I've come home," she said, feeling the sting of tears prickle behind her lids. "I won't leave Destiny and…and I won't leave you," she finished, unable to meet his eyes, feeling as though she'd already revealed too much. If they were indeed destined to die, she figured why the hell not. She turned away, returning to her place at the railing.

His heart fluttered and warmth spread through his chest at her words, but just as quickly he shoved his personal feelings aside. The need to save her, to give her the best chance of survival, drove him onward. "If your name is drawn, you're getting on that shuttle, Miss French," he reiterated, stepping to her side and gripping her shoulder to turn her to face him. "That's not a request."

Belle's lips curled into a smirk as she lifted one perfectly arched auburn brow. "Really? What are you going to do if I don't obey your oh most imperious command? Fire me?" she asked. "Fine…I quit! But I'm not leaving."

"Why do you have to be so bloody stubborn?" he asked, pacing away from her and raking a frustrated hand through his long hair.

"Why can't you simply respect my choice? Nicholas, please," she said, turning the full blast of her pleading gaze on him. She watched with inner satisfaction as his resolve crumbled before her. She held out a hand to him, silently asking him to trust that she knew what was best for herself.

Rush stared down at her hand, wondering what the odds were on tossing her over his shoulder and forcefully carting her off to the gate room. Sighing in defeat, he reached out and linked his fingers through hers, allowing her to pull him to her side. He stared straight ahead, squinting his eyes against the brightness of the star filling the window, warmth spreading through his chest as she tentatively squeezed his hand and rested her head against his shoulder. He forced himself to banish his regrets and just be thankful she'd chosen to stay. As she'd said so many times…they were in this together.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush observed his little assistant, her face the picture of serenity as she watched the ship draw ever nearer to the star looming before them, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth with all the things he wanted to say to her before it was too late. Twice now he'd opened his mouth to speak and both times he'd failed. Would it even matter now? Belle squeezed his fingers and pointed as the shuttle rose from its bay.

"Well, it's too late now, isn't it? You should be on that shuttle, Belle," he said for the umpteenth time since he'd learned she'd withdrawn her name from the lottery.

Her eyes held a tender look as she turned her gaze to lock with his. "I'm right where I want to be."

Eli rushed onto the observation deck, a Kino remote clutched in his hand. He was followed closely by Chloe, Young and Greer, all of them wanting to bid a silent farewell to those fortunate enough to be chosen to survive on the chosen planet. "I sent a Kino with Riley, hoping to get an exterior view of the ship," he explained, smiling at Belle. He pressed several buttons on the remote and the video feed displayed clearly on the screen. He held it up so everyone could see the images.

Young's radio crackled, Lt Scott's voice coming in clearly as he piloted the shuttle away from the Destiny. "This is Scott. We're away."

"You're looking good, Lieutenant," the colonel said, his voice raspy with emotion he tried to hide.

"I expect we'll be out of radio range by the time we fire up the main drive so…we'll be thinking of you guys," Scott responded.

Greer clicked the com button on the radio strapped to his shoulder. "You too, brother, you too," he murmured softly.

The colonel swallowed audibly before finding his voice again. "Matthew, TJ, take good care of those people."

Belle could hear the raw grief in Scott's voice as it echoed over the open channel, and it made her even more thankful to have the comforting reassurance of Rush's warm palm pressed so tightly against her own, lending his strength. "I will, sir."

The retros above the shuttle fired briefly, the small ship hovering over Destiny. Finally the rear engines engaged and the shuttle streaked away from them. Eli held up the remote, smiling. "There it is," he said reverently as they got their first glimpse of Destiny's hull.

Chloe pressed closer into Eli's side, her eyes alight with wonder. "That's the Destiny," she said, her thoughts going to her father. He'd been such a staunch supporter in the Icarus project, had given his life so they could have more time to solve the life support issues. It was a shame he couldn't have witnessed firsthand the magnitude of the Ancient ship.

Rush gazed at the image in amazement until the Kino drifted further away and the light of the star moved into the frame, obliterating everything on the screen. Eli lowered the remote and tucked it into the pocket of his jacket, watching in silence as the shuttle raced farther and farther away from them.

Rush nodded appreciatively, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Thank you, Eli. I never thought I'd get the chance to see the ship from the outside."

Young smiled, his gaze swinging fondly to each member of his crew. "You know what? I think I'm gonna go for a walk." He turned to Greer. "How's that sound, Sergeant?" he asked, hoping for some company.

"Sounds like a plan, sir," he said.

"Ronald…" Belle said softly, reaching out her free hand to the master sergeant she considered a dear friend.

"Always a pleasure, Miss Belle," he said, clasping her hand tightly in his and gracing her with a saucy wink.

Rush's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and his own hand tightened reflexively against her fingers. "Well, I shall be—"

"Right here with me," Belle said firmly, cocking a brow and challenging him to argue. She pulled her iPhone from the pocket of her yoga pants, the ear buds wrapped around it. "I've got a playlist I want to listen to while _we_ watch the show."

He smiled down at her, realizing he'd happily don a spacesuit and stand on the prow of the ship if she asked it of him. Young held his hand out to him. Touched, Rush clasped it in his own, shaking hands with the man. Young nodded to the others and then he and Greer made their way to the door.

Rush schooled his weathered features into a mask of apology as he turned to the young man that had been thrust into the program against his will and taken away from everything comforting and familiar in his life. "Eli, I, uh…I'm sorry I got you involved in this."

"Actually…" Eli said, narrowing his eyes as if surprised at what he was about to say. "…I'm not. Yet!" he clarified. "I'll probably be sorry at the end of the day but…"

Belle and Chloe chuckled softly, amused with their friend. Rush nodded and looked down, unable to respond.

Eli noticed the sadness gleaming in those dark sable eyes before the scientist's gaze slithered away. "We don't have that long, do we?"

Rush shook his head. "No."

Chloe looked out the window at the looming star, a tremor of fear in her voice. "How will it happen?"

Rush gave her a searching look, measuring her character from what little he knew of her, unsure whether to tell the full truth. She'd already been through so much, what with her arrival on the Ancient ship against her will and then losing her father, yet he knew Belle would want him to be honest with the girl. "Well, there will be turbulence from the solar wind, far worse than what we've previously experienced. Heat, obviously, and intense G-forces. I suspect the ship will be torn apart long before we reach the star."

Belle sighed. "Nothing like brutal truth, eh, Rush?" she said dryly.

He shrugged, offering her an apologetic look. "Aren't you always preaching at me to be honest?" He turned his gaze back to the tall brunette. "Hopefully, it will be quick."

Chloe smiled weakly and twined her fingers with Eli's, drawing him away from the scientist and his assistant to sit on one of the plush sofas set before the observation window, pulling him down to sit next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. He glanced down at her dark head, smiling ruefully. He knew she'd rather be with Scott aboard the shuttle heading into an uncertain future than there with him. He felt it was rather selfish of him to be thankful that she was there by his side, but couldn't muster up the will to be sorry.

Belle retained her grip on Rush's hand, pulling him to the sofa on the opposite side of the room. She didn't know where the rest of the crew was, but she was grateful she wouldn't have to share the observation deck with more than just Chloe and Eli. She was quite confident that her theory was right, and the knowledge afforded her a calm that was completely out of place among the others. She could fairly feel the anxiety radiating from Rush as he took a seat on the sofa and pulled her down to sit beside him. He was trying to be brave for her, hiding himself away behind a mask of cool reserve when it was absolutely unnecessary.

She finally released his hand and unwound her ear buds from around her phone, handing one to him while she turned the device on and waited for it to load. "What would you like to listen to?" she asked, smiling sweetly as she showed him what she had to offer.

"Does it matter?" he asked. He couldn't have cared less about what she chose. It was enough that she wanted him close, had chosen to spend her last moments with him when there were any number of people on the ship more worthy.

She pulled her legs up, folding them beneath her as she nestled into his side. He didn't resist as she took his hand and looped it over her shoulders. She smiled as his pupils grew larger and his eyes became hooded, happy that he wasn't trying to put a respectable distance between them. She held his gaze for a moment longer before she slipped the ear piece in her ear and scrolled through her music selections, choosing a playlist with several slow country songs. She had everything in her music library from classical to country and rock to pop, but the playlist she chose had been made months ago when she'd first begun having dreams about him and she felt it appropriate.

Belle waited until he'd slipped the bud into his ear and then pressed play, resting the phone on her thigh as the first strains of Clay Walker's _Fall_ began to play. His brow furrowed into a puzzled frown as he listened to the unfamiliar music, having been certain she would have chosen one of the classical pieces they both favored. "What—"

She pressed a finger to his lips, reveling in the softness, remembering how they'd felt joined with hers and her voice was a breathy whisper as she shushed him. "Just listen to the words. Relax. Let everything fall away until there's nothing but us, Nicholas," she breathed, his name a soft caress against her tongue.

Rush couldn't have looked away if he'd tried, so mesmerized as he was by her…the woman he loved, whispering his name in a seductive purr, her hand resting against his chest over his heart, her head on his shoulder and desire shining in her heavily lidded gaze. Why couldn't he have acted on his feelings before it was too late? Why did he have to wait for the threat of impending doom to finally hold her in his arms? Somewhere he forced the passion induced haze that fogged his brain aside long enough to focus on the lyrics of the song she'd chosen and the breath caught in his chest.

_Oh, look there, you go again, puttin' on that smile again  
>Even though I know you've had a bad day<br>Doin' this and doin' that, always puttin' yourself last  
>A whole lotta give and not enough take<br>But you can only be strong so long before you break_

He had to smile. How many times had she coaxed him out of a bad mood with one of her teasing smiles and witty banter, always giving of herself to the point of exhaustion and never expecting anything in return? His gaze dropped to her mouth, the words falling silently from her lips and his hands clenched into fists to control the insatiable urge to kiss her, to claim her, to possess her and draw her into his heart and his body until the entire world knew without a doubt that she belonged to him.

_So fall, go on and fall apart  
>And fall into these arms of mine, I'll catch you<br>Every time you fall, go on and lose it all  
>Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear<br>I'm right here, baby fall_

_Forget about the world tonight, all that's wrong and all that's right  
>Lay your head on my shoulder and let it fade away<br>And if you wanna let go, baby, it's okay_

Belle's gaze never wavered from his as her hand crept slowly up his chest, along the warm flesh of his neck and over his nape, her fingers curling through the soft strands of his hair. "Nicholas…" she murmured softly, urging him to close the distance between them. "Nicholas…would you catch me?" she whispered, her lips brushing tenderly against his with each word.

_Fall, go on and fall apart  
>And fall into these arms of mine and I'll catch you<br>Every time you fall, go on and lose it all  
>Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear<br>I'm right here, baby fall_

_Hold on, hold on  
>Hold on to me<em>

A needy moan escaped his throat as his tongue darted past his teeth to wet his dry lips. His desire grew with every note as the music crested, yet still he held back. His gaze turned to the observation window, the star growing larger on the horizon and he knew they were running out of time. He'd never be able to have her, yet at the same time how could he deny her?

Belle's fingertips slid along the curve of his jaw, gently bringing his gaze back to meet hers. "I'm right here, Nicholas," she breathed. "Will you catch me?" _Will you have me? _she thought, her eyes darkening with desire as she waited for him to cease fighting with his inner demons and take what they both wanted. "Please, Nicholas…don't think, just feel."

_Fall, go on and fall apart  
>And fall into these arms of mine and I'll catch you<br>Every time you fall, go on and lose it all  
>Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear<br>I'm right here, baby fall_

His lips closed over hers and he felt every one of his muscles melt into the soft curves of her body, one hand delving into her dark hair, holding her still, the other wrapping about her waist to press her firmly to him as he reveled in her taste, his tongue gliding tentatively over her lower lip. This was their first real kiss without some obstacle between them. There was no panic caused by her claustrophobia needing to be banished, no sleep induced fog to prevent him from fully claiming her. Her lips parted beneath his, her fingers tightening in his hair, tugging gently, the pleasant sting increasing his ardor as his tongue slipped into her mouth to duel with hers, each fighting for dominance over the kiss. He sought out every crevice of her delectable mouth, anything, everything that would bring her pleasure and make her continue to emit the soft moans that echoed over and through his own mouth as he swallowed them down, capturing them greedily and holding them reverently within him.

Rush cradled her face in his warm palms and pressed his brow to hers as he broke the kiss in an effort to allow them both to catch their breath. "_Shealbhú tú mo chroí, mo Belle. Is breá liom tú," _he murmured, his brogue thick as his heartfelt promise fell from his lips.

Belle smiled shyly as she recognized the Gaelic words, if not their meaning. It wasn't often that he was so overcome with emotion that he'd slip into the language of his childhood, but she couldn't deny it aroused her. "What does it mean?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. She nuzzled her nose with his, reveling in the soft brush of her skin against his.

His only answer was a darkly seductive twist of his lips as he stretched out his wiry frame on the length of the sofa and hauled her against his chest, affording them a bit more comfort as he claimed her lips once more. But that quirk of his lips hadn't been able to disguise the sadness, the longing, nor the pain that lingered in his sable eyes.

She braced her hands against his chest and broke the kiss as she pushed away, searching his face. The mask had indeed slipped, the cool reserve replaced with remorse, regret…goodbye. Angry tears gathered in her eyes and spilled over her lashes. "Don't you dare!" she hissed, the sound no louder than that as she forced the words out around the knot that had formed in her throat. "Don't you say goodbye to me, Nicholas. We are _not_ going to die. The shields _will_ hold."

"Oh, Belle, I'm so sorry for dragging you into this mess," he said, catching her wrist in his firm grip when she attempted to smack his chest.

"Oh, Gods! That's why you kissed me. You were saying goodbye," she cried, her face a mask of horror. "You don't really want—" Her voice trailed away and she tried to lift herself away from him, to run and seek the solace of her room, but his arms held her tightly, giving her no quarter and effectively trapping her within his embrace.

His fingers rubbed gently across her nape, urging her to meet him halfway as he lifted his head to brush his lips to hers. "How could you ever think I wouldn't want you, _mo ghrá? _I've always wanted you," he vowed, again speaking from his heart without revealing all. Doubt filled her jewel bright cerulean eyes and he cursed, wondering how everything had gone so badly. He shifted so he could rest on his side, facing her, caged within his embrace between his body and the back of the sofa. He fitted his hips flush with hers, the evidence of his erection pressing into her and he fairly growled his pleasure against the corner of her mouth. "Can't you feel me, Belle? My body won't lie to you."

X*X*X*X*X

Chloe dragged her gaze away from the object of their imminent death filling the window and searched out her new friend across the room. The noise that had drawn her attention, Belle's iPhone as it had smacked against the cool metal floor, the white ear buds coiling snakelike. Her eyes widened incredulously and she smacked Eli in the center of his chest, drawing him abruptly from his reverie as he thought of all the things he'd never get to do with his life. "Eli! Eli!" she cried in a loud whisper, pointing across the room at what had to be the most unconventional couple she'd ever seen.

"What?!" he wailed, rubbing his chest where she'd hit him.

She slapped a hand over his mouth, at the same time turning his head towards the other sofa a good fifteen feet away. "You said they weren't _together_," she said accusingly.

Eli pried her hand away from his mouth, which now gaped open. "She said he didn't…he wasn't…interested in her like that."

Chloe's lips twitched as she met his gaze and she was forced to press her face to his shoulder to muffle her startled laughter. "Well apparently she was wrong."

"Are we there yet?" the boy genius whined. "I so want this image burned from my retinas."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle moaned low in her throat and yielded to the desire curling through her, melting once more into his embrace. Her lips parted beneath his, opening again as his questing tongue delved into the hot inner recesses of her mouth. She felt consumed by him, her head spinning deliriously as he alternated between soft nibbling kisses and a fiery assault. Her nails scored his shoulders through the thin material of his t-shirt, giving herself over to the onslaught of his lips, teeth and tongue. Only the first rumblings of turbulence shaking the ship could jar her from her euphoric state.

Rush sat up and turned his worried gaze to the observation window, pulling her up beside him and pressing her head to his shoulder. A litany of _They'll hold! They'll hold! They'll hold! _ echoed through her mind as she stared, awestruck at the star filling every inch of the window.

Rush climbed to his feet unsteadily, moving towards the railing as the bow of Destiny dipped into the star, the shields shining bright blue against the hull…holding firmly, never wavering. Belle joined him at the railing, her face lit up in triumph. "YES!" she cried exuberantly.

He laughed joyfully, catching her as she threw her arms about him and twirling her in a circle before setting her on her feet and kissing her soundly. "You were right," he said, laughing again. She ducked her head sheepishly, pleased with his praise. He cupped her chin in his hand and raised her face to meet his gaze. "There will be no living with you now."

Belle snorted and buried her face against his chest, simply happy to be alive.

Eli rose from the sofa, staring at the pair of scientists as if they'd taken leave of their senses. "Uh, what are we so happy about?"

"We're going to live, Eli," Rush said, smiling at him over the top of Belle's head.

Eli gaped at him. "What about the turbulence and the heat and the death?" he asked, his voice rising in his excitement.

Belle shook her head, easing herself out of Rush's embrace and retrieving her phone from the floor, wrapping the ear buds around it and sliding it back into her pocket. "No, all of that would have happened by now. The shield is protecting us."

Chloe joined them at the railing. "But you said we were out of power."

"I was absolutely certain of that," Rush said, nodding happily. Belle chuckled, unable to remember the last time she'd seen him so light hearted. She was sure it wouldn't last long. Another crisis would arise to turn him into a surly bear. "And I've never been more pleased to be wrong in all my life." Quickly, he twined his fingers with Belle's and pulled her along behind him, heading for the control interface room.

Belle protested, but followed. "Rush, we're missing it! How often can you say you were _inside_ a bloody star? Would you slow down?"

Eli followed after them, anxious to keep abreast of what was happening. The consoles flickered to life moments before they entered the control room, data streaming across the screens and Eli hurried to his. "You're right! The systems are coming back online all over the ship!"

Young came in, grinning like a fool as Belle began running diagnostics on her console. She arched a brow, never having seen the strict military man lose his reserve. He looked almost human, she thought wryly. "There's a rumor spreading that we're still here."

A crooked grin curled Rush's lips as he gazed down at his fully functioning console with delight. "We are," he unnecessarily confirmed. The lights came on in the room, further adding to the jovial mood that had overtaken its occupants. "Destiny needed all its power reserves to protect itself—_and_ us."

Belle gasped, her gaze swinging urgently to lock with Rush's. "Nicholas, are you seeing this?" she asked excitedly.

Young's ebony brows disappeared somewhere in his hairline as he looked at Rush and smirked, mouthing, "_Nicholas_?"

Heat crept up Rush's neck to stain his cheeks, which only made him more disagreeable towards the man. He didn't answer, instead paging through the data until he found what had Belle so in awe.

"Uh, guys?" Eli asked, activating the holographic screen in the center of the room which showed Destiny's position in relation to the star. "We're _in_ the star."

Young limped forward, his eyes scanning the screen. "That can't be right. You're talking thousands of degrees."

Belle rolled her eyes. "Fifteen point seven million Celsius, Colonel. I thought we'd covered that earlier," she said dryly.

Rush exchanged a warm glance with Belle, his sable eyes glowing with approval for her wit before turning his attention back to the colonel. "Well, we've just flown through the corona, which is even hotter, to say nothing of magnetic fields, gravitational stresses…This is what Destiny intended from the moment it entered the star system."

"You're telling me it flew into the star on purpose?" Everett asked, clearly surprised.

"That's exactly what he's saying," Belle agreed, beaming from ear to ear with satisfaction.

"Why?"

"To replenish its reserves," Rush said simply. "The ship is powered by the stars themselves. Solar powered—quite literally. There is no other explanation."

They all stared at the screen, their eyes mapping Destiny's course through the star until it began to pull out of it. The ship jolted momentarily, followed by the hum of the engines roaring to life. Eli let out a small whoop of excitement, laughing. "The engines just came back on! We're pulling out of it!"

A shrill tone pierced the air and Belle groaned as she looked up to see the countdown clock begin. "Oh no. The shuttle!"

Young's face strained with determination. "We've gotta call them back."

"Uh, we haven't accessed communications yet," Eli said worriedly.

Rush rapidly entered commands into the console. "I'm working on it," he confirmed, the muscle in his jaw ticking furiously as he felt the tension build in his wiry frame.

"Well, you know if you don't figure it out before we go into FTL…" Young snapped irritably, the stress weighing upon him as well.

Belle read the numbers on the clock written in Ancient. "Plenty of time, Nicholas."

Young swung around to regard her coolly. "We can't strand those people here."

Rush cast him a pointed look. "Then this would be an excellent time for you to trust me to solve this problem."

X*X*X*X*X

Lt Scott piloted the shuttle closer to the planet, their safe haven…which apparently wasn't so safe after all. When they'd finally gotten close enough to take a reading, it had shown the planet to basically be a frozen tundra. They'd be able to survive, but the question was for how long. Everyone had drifted into silence long ago, their thoughts troubled as they thought of those that had been left behind to face their fate. The com came to life, a voice filtering through the static, one they'd never thought to hear again.

"This is Young, come in," came the colonel's voice.

Scott shared a look of stunned disbelief with TJ, soft murmurs emitting from the passengers strapped in behind them. He reached up, and with Brody pointing him in the right direction, pressed the com link. "Uh, this is—" He had to clear his throat of the raw emotion choking him. "This is Scott, sir, how the hell?"

"We're just as surprised as you are, Lieutenant. I'll explain later. You need to get your ass back aboard this ship," he commanded firmly despite the smile Scott and TJ could hear clearly evident in his voice.

Laughter and applause met that announcement along with a profound sense of relief and Scott took a moment to sit back in his seat to shake off his amazement in order to follow Young's orders. TJ pointed out the cockpit window. "Look, there it is!"

Scott followed her line of vision to see Destiny in the distance, still trailing debris she'd collected in the star. "Will do! Scott out." He turned to the controls and immediately began plotting an intercept course that would see them back on board.

He typed tentatively into the console, still not confident with his limited knowledge of the systems. He'd had no other choice, forced to learn quickly due to necessity. The console beeped negatively, so he patiently retyped the information. Once again the computer denied his request. He clicked the com link. "Uh, Colonel, stand by," he said, turning to seek help from Brody with the computer. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Am I reading that right?" he asked the engineer.

Brody looked down at the failed scenario on the screen and bit back a curse. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. We're so close!" he cried, looking at the Destiny out the cockpit window. "You can almost touch it! It's right there!"

"The Destiny's accelerating away from us and we can't match it," he said dejectedly, raising his head so his voice would carry through the com link. He pressed the button a little harder than necessary in his distress. "Colonel, we have a problem here. We can see you, but the shuttle's computer cannot come up with an intercept solution. Destiny is accelerating too fast. I'm trying to put something in manually here but there's no way to cross the _t_. Sir, we're gonna fall short."

Rush's voice came over the com, questioning, "You're on full power, yes?"

"I put the throttle up right away. It's-it's just not gonna be enough."

Eli's frantic voice came next, echoing through the shuttle as he offered his own advice. "You _must_ have afterburners or something."

Scott glared at the com above his head. "It's not an F-16, Eli, it's a spaceship!" he snapped. "Is there anything you can do to slow Destiny down? Because we're out of ideas here."

Back on Destiny, Young paced around the holographic screen, pleading with Rush. "Come on, guys."

Rush swiped a hand down his face, thinking hard. Young could have sworn he heard the gears grinding in the doctor's brain. Rush dropped his hand and leaned over the console, speaking clearly into the open com link. "Lieutenant, I want you to turn and head directly towards the planet. We'll send you an exact course in a moment."

Eli, understanding what Rush intended, pulled his calculator out of his pocket and rapidly began inputting numbers.

"Belle," Rush snapped hurriedly. "Help Eli run the numbers!"

Belle darted across the room and took up the space next to Eli at his console, entering the numbers into the console as quickly as he could rattle them off.

"No, no, no. The planet is a rock. We're better taking our chances…" Scott answered.

Rush glared impatiently at the link. "Do what I say, Lieutenant. We don't have much time. In order to reach the star, Destiny used an aero-braking maneuver to slow down. I'm suggesting you perform a slingshot maneuver around the planet to do exactly the opposite," he explained.

Young felt hope spring to life within his chest where before he'd experienced only defeat. "A gravity boost to speed up."

Rush nodded. "It should put Destiny directly in their path."

The rapid whir of Belle's fingertips slowed to a stop as the console beeped. "Got it!" Eli exclaimed, feeling a proud sense of accomplishment.

Rush left his console, stalking purposefully towards Eli. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Eli, there's many variables here. Are you sure about this?" he asked, ignoring the icy glare Belle shot his way. He was sure he'd catch hell from her later, but time was of the essence and there was no margin for error.

Eli cast him a pointed stare before gesturing to himself. "Math boy, remember? Send it."

Belle snickered and turned away before Rush could scold her for her impertinence.

"Ok, Math Boy," he said, entering a few swift strokes on the console, the data transferring to his own. He returned to his own workstation and immediately sent the new course to the shuttle's computer.

"Is this gonna work?" the colonel asked skeptically.

Rush leaned his palms flat on the console and shrugged. "It's gonna be close."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush released a long hiss of air through his teeth as Young limped out of the control interface room to go meet up with the shuttle and welcome the remaining members of his crew. Eli had deserted them earlier to watch the shuttle dock from the observation deck…_live_, he'd said, instead of on the display in the control room. He rubbed fervently at the ache in his neck, leaning his head to the left until it popped with an audible crack. He tried to focus on the screen before him, to shake off the fatigue and stress that plagued him, to concentrate on the work that had to be done, but the soft gentle fingers that replaced his own drove away all coherent thought and left nothing but pleasure in their wake.

His head bowed, his hair falling over his brow as his eyes closed, a shiver creeping up his spine. "Belle…I've got work to do," he protested only half-heartedly. Her thumb pressed into the soft tissue of his neck and he bit his lip to hold back the needy whimper threatening to escape his throat. It wasn't the first time she'd gone to work on him to alleviate the pain he suffered…too many long hours bent over his work would do it.

While he was distracted, she slipped between his body and the console and switched it off, the expression on her face daring him to argue. "I'm hungry," she said softly, using her other hand to brush a lock of hair behind his ear and trail her fingertips along his jaw. "Would you care to have dinner with me?"

His watchful gaze flitted between her heavily lidded eyes and the now cold console, torn between duty and desire. "Well, I don't know, Miss French. Can you secure us dinner for two from Bruno's?" he teased, propping a hand on the console on either side of her hips and leaning in to cage her within his arms. "A nice juicy filet, fried onions and garlic mashed potatoes?"

Her stomach growled loudly and she flushed scarlet. "You play dirty, Rush," she groused, her lips pursing into a moue of irritation. What she wouldn't do to be able to order out from the little steakhouse near her apartment back home.

Rush sighed, realizing he'd gone too far when she reverted to his last name instead of the seductive purr of _Nicholas_. "I think I can hold off on the sludge a little longer, thank you," he snarked, backing up to give her space. He was surprised when her hand trailed down his left arm and her warm palm slid against his, entwining their fingers.

"Come have dinner with me," she said, gentling her tone, tugging on his hand to get him moving towards the door. He cocked a brow at her as she began walking backwards, raised her radio to her lips and clicked the com button. "Dale, this is Belle in the control room."

"Yeah, Belle?" came Volker's hesitant reply.

"Could you please fill in for me for a few hours?" she asked, never taking her eyes from Rush as he dug in his heels.

"Have you taken leave of your senses? Surely you must have, to think that I would leave that muttonhead in charge of—" His voice trailed away as she caught her lower lip between her teeth and lowered her eyes to peer at him from beneath her lashes. He felt all the blood leave his head and venture south. _Minx! Fuck, am I in trouble!_

"I'm certain he won't steer us into a black hole while we're having dinner…Nicholas," she cajoled.

"On my way, Belle," Volker answered.

A slow smile of victory curved up one corner of her mouth as she clipped the radio back to the waistband of her yoga pants, tugging once more on his hand to get him moving. "Then afterwards you can take a hot shower and change into something that doesn't smell like three old day cheese," she snarked.

"My clothes do _not_—"

"Yes, they do," she sing-songed. "Then if you like we can take the long way from our quarters back to the control room and you can put in a shift."

"Belle, _mo ghrá_," he growled, taking advantage of her relaxed stance to pull her off balance and into his arms. He wrapped the arm that still held her hand around her back, pressing her to his chest. "You drive a hard bargain, but not quite."

She pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat and a tremor shook him, too used to avoiding human contact. "What if I agree to work through the shift with you?"

"You're definitely getting warmer," he teased, releasing his hold on her to follow her to the mess.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before her curiosity got the better of her. "Nicholas, what is this…with us…between us, I mean?" she stammered nervously, gesturing between them.

That imperious brow of his rocketed skyward in surprise, but his tone was filled with a tenderness she'd never heard him use on anyone before…ever. "Something new…different and profoundly special, _mo ghrá_." He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm. "It's whatever you want it to be, Belle."

Her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips, watching him closely from the corner of her eye, hating the blush that stained her cheeks. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded, waiting for her to proceed. "_Mo ghrá_? What does it mean?"

He slowed his steps outside the mess, turning to her before they could enter the large cavernous room and the boisterous noise pouring out into the corridor where they stood. Belle sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes darkened until they were almost black. "I promise I will tell you when the time is right. Now just happens to _not_ be that time."

They'd barely stepped foot into the mess when Young called out to them. "Dr. Rush, Belle, come…sit with us. These two have even showered!" he said, getting in a jab at Eli and Scott.

He didn't bother to look towards the table occupied by the colonel and his elite, anxious to get his rations and be alone with Belle. "No thanks."

He followed Belle over to where Becker was preparing rations into their meager tin bowls, beginning to get irritated with the colonel as he cajoled jovially, "Ah, come on. We should celebrate."

"Celebrate what? That we're back where we started?" he bit out acidly. He could feel Belle's disapproving stare on him, but it was too late to take back his words and he wasn't at all certain that he would have if it were possible. There would always be bad blood between him and Young. He didn't see that changing in the near future.

Scott joined in, not even the animosity flying back and forth between the two men able to deter his good mood. "Ah, come on, have a seat, Rush!"

Rush still stubbornly refused to give in. "Some other time."

"You're being rude, Nicholas," Belle said, leaning in to whisper as she took the bowl from Becker.

Young rose to his feet, hobbling over to them. "All right. Well, Becker, give him a double ration. He deserves it."

Rush snorted. "Why's that, then?"

The smile never faltered from Young's face. "Well, I'm in a good mood."

"We're to be rewarded at your whim, then?" he asked caustically, gnashing his teeth in irritation.

"No, no, just stop. What, you—you want some reasons? I'll give you three. You were right about the power situation," he said, though it was just as difficult for him to admit when he was wrong as it was for the scientist.

Rush took the bowl of rations from Becker and poured a portion into Belle's bowl so they'd have the same amount, despite her protests. "No, you need them more," she said.

"No arguments," he said, the warmth radiating from his eyes when he looked at her nearly a tangible thing in the cold room. He spooned a bit of the porridge into his mouth and did his best to suppress a grimace before addressing the colonel's statement. "Not really, Colonel."

"You figured out the sub-space communications, how to call the shuttle," Everett argued.

Rush stared down into his bowl. "We needed to get those supplies back."

"You took your name out of the lottery."

Belle sighed wearily, tired of the tension and ready to quit the mess. "So did you, Colonel."

Young smiled at Belle. "I was injured. He actually made a sacrifice. And I could say the same for you, Belle. Although, I would attribute your decision to pure stubbornness," he said, chuckling fondly at the girl.

Rush stepped between them, his spoon clattering against the side of his bowl, the only thing to attest to his souring mood. He in no way appreciated the familiarity Young felt towards his little assistant…she was _his_. "And if we'd listened to her in the first place there wouldn't have been a need to use the shuttle at all. A mistake I don't intend to repeat…and neither should you." He glared icily at the man just on principle and linked his hand with Belle's, leading her towards the door and out into the corridor.

Greer finished off his rations and watched the pair leave the mess as the colonel resumed his seat. "I don't know how that little gem tolerates him," he drawled lazily, the events of the day catching up to him.

Eli choked on a spoonful of his rations and Chloe pounded on his back, sliding a cup of water next to him. She shot him a warning look that demanded he keep his mouth shut about what they'd seen on the observation deck.

Scott however, caught her glare and successfully interpreted it. "Wait…seriously?" he demanded of Chloe, who held her tongue. Eli's flaming cheeks gave truth to the speculation and everyone at the table fell silent, TJ grinning smugly and Young's brow furrowed in a puzzled frown.

"No, you're mistaken," Young insisted. Eli lowered his head, wishing he could drown in his rations. "You have to be. Belle would never—"

TJ interceded. "Colonel, let it go."

Scott looked aghast. "Belle and Rush?!"

Young shook his head, groaning. "That man is a lotta work. A lotta work. Hopefully, Belle knows what she's getting herself into. Frankly, there's not much I can do as they're both civilians and don't fall under the military code of conduct."

Scott just couldn't let it go however. "How did you two even find out, Chloe?" When she wasn't forthcoming with any information, he pressed Eli. "Eli, buddy…come on, man, spill."

TJ shook her head in resignation, used to their tendency to gossip like a group of church ladies. "As much as I would love to know what happened, I wouldn't want to be around when Belle French finds out you've been gossiping about her. And heaven forbid she hears you've been badmouthing her boss behind her back." She shot Greer a searching look. "She still taking self-defense classes from you?"

"Not exactly," he said, his gaze focusing anywhere besides the medic.

Of course that only ignited the colonel's interest. "Sergeant, would you care to enlighten us?"

"Not particularly, sir, no."

"How about you do so anyway," he said, and when the master sergeant still hesitated, he added. "Don't make me turn a simple request into an order."

"Let's just say she's moved on from defense, sir," Greer mumbled evasively.

"Sergeant, I expressly forbid teaching the civilian personnel offense," Young grouched. "Why would you disobey a direct order?"

Greer's gaze moved from one of his friends and coworkers to the next, making sure he had everyone's undivided attention. "Anyone ever walk in on one of their fights? The ones that usually end in a broken white board and Jolly Ranchers scattered all over the floor from the science lab to the mess?" Chloe and Eli, being new to Icarus were the only two who weren't trying to hide a snicker, a cough or an all-out _hell yeah_ behind their hands. "I just couldn't resist, sir, I apologize. I'd pay good money to see him push her too far. She'd kick his skinny ass."

"Ron!" TJ admonished, her eyes tearing with mirth.

Scott pushed his bowl aside and propped his elbow on the table. "I still want to know what happened," he pouted.

Chloe, unable to take the puppy eyed look he was casting her, finally caved. "It was just a kiss."

"Are you sure?" Eli asked, frowning at her. "I've never heard a girl make that kind of noise just from one kiss."

"Why am I not surprised," Greer mumbled good naturedly under his breath.

"Hey!" Eli returned, offended by their lack of faith in his ability to romance a female. He glanced at Chloe and slumped in his seat, seeing their point as his attempt to get to know the senator's daughter had failed abysmally. Not that he wasn't happy to have her as a friend, but he'd wanted more.

"Well he is an older man and he _was_ married before," TJ added.

Everett cast her a sidelong glance, his face a mask of disgust and horror, realizing his ex-lover had actually given the matter some thought.

Greer chuckled. "One thing is certain…things are about to get interesting around here."

**A/N: For those interested, "**_**Shealbhú tú mo chroí, mo Belle. Is breá liom tú," **_** is Irish Gaelic for "You hold my heart, my Belle. I love you." And "**_**Mo ghrá" **_**means "My love." He's dying to tell her how he feels, just not courageous enough to do so, therefore, he's relying on the language he grew up with. Unfortunately, Belle isn't fluent in it. Don't worry, he'll tell her eventually lol. BTW, this was my fav chapter to write so far (o:**

**Thanks so much to those who reviewed this week and completely brightened my day (and made my muse ecstatic!) Twyla Mercedes, cynicsquest, MagdalenaP, Wondermorena and PartyintheTARDIS12. You guys are awesome. **


	6. Water

Chapter Six: Water

"Just give me a quick moment to gather your things and I'll meet you in the bathroom, hm?" Belle asked, her voice wavering only slightly as she tried to contain the excitement that hummed in her veins and had every nerve ending in her body singing soprano. She palmed the lock and slipped into his room, going to the dresser and retrieving his small bag of toiletries and a change of clothes.

He was scowling at his reflection in the mirror hanging over the bathroom counter with its double basins, regarding the dark circles under his eyes when she joined him. "Why didn't you tell me I looked so awful?" he asked, throwing her an accusing glare.

Belle set his things down on the counter and shrugged. "You look as you always do, Nicholas," she said, her heart skipping a beat as she used his given name, trying to familiarize herself with the feeling of it on her tongue. "Overworked, underfed, and in desperate need of sleep." _And sinfully handsome_, she thought silently, but she'd keep that to herself for the time being. It was a bone of contention between them, that he was negligent when it came to caring for his basic needs, and something she desperately wanted to correct. She was determined to see that he didn't drive himself into an early grave because he refused to take care of himself.

"Always brutal honesty with you, Miss French," he teased. She had a way of cutting through the bullshit and speaking with an honesty he no longer found disturbing as he had when she'd first begun working for him. Now he found it refreshing to know she meant the things that slipped so easily from her rosebud mouth. Rush turned the knob on the faucet, scowling down at the fixture when a trickle of water issued forth and then died away. "No water, I suppose?"

"The water level in the tanks is lower than what we'd like. The colonel had Brody seal off the pipes to the lavatories after he heard Eli's report…just until we can find a viable planet and replenish our supplies," she explained, hopping up on the counter between the sinks.

Rush arched a brow at her as she tugged on his waistcoat, pulling him between her parted knees and looping her arms lightly around his neck. His hands skimmed up the sides of her thighs and came to settle on her hips as he pressed his brow to hers, reveling in the freedom of now being able to touch her like this. "And the showers?"

Belle shrugged again, her tongue gliding over her lower lip as she contemplated answering him or kissing him senseless. For now, she thought it would be best to satisfy his curiosity. "From what Eli has been able to determine, they don't use water, but rather some type of cleaning solution that forms a mysterious mist that beads up on your skin. I mean, I'm sure it incorporates _some_ water, just not enough to be a detriment to our supplies." She brushed her lips to his, unable to resist a moment longer and sighed happily. "Want me to show you how it works?" she asked softly against the corner of his mouth as his fingers tightened reflexively against her hips.

"I don't know," he murmured, nipping lightly at her lower lip. "Are you planning on joining me?"

She chuckled, unable to miss the note of hopefulness in his tone. "If I do, it's doubtful we'll ever get back to work." He backed off with a sigh of regret as she pushed gently against his shoulders and lowered herself to the floor, padding across the tiles and opening the frosted glass door of one of the stalls. "Give the lever a three quarter turn and it should give you satisfactory heat and pressure…I mean…"

"Belle…" he said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips to press a kiss to her palm, pulling her closer and narrowing his eyes on the deep blush settling in her cheeks. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she assured him, nearly breathless with the desire coursing through her.

He wrapped an arm around her waist as he pressed the hand he held captive against his chest. "You're not fine; you're trembling. You've been growing increasingly agitated since we left the mess. Now, tell me what's troubling you."

Belle ducked her head, breaking their gaze. All the pent up desire she was feeling was openly displayed in those sable orbs and her control was steadily slipping away from her. "I…Nicholas, it's been." She tried again. "It's been a long time since I was in a relationship, especially one that's relatively normal," she added the last under her breath.

"Relatively normal?" he asked, unable to hold back the small huff of laughter that escaped his smiling lips.

"It's complicated. I'll try to explain, but it can wait."

"And this is your idea of normal, is it?" he asked, one corner of his mouth lifting in a familiar smirk.

"Stop it, Nicholas. I'm trying to be serious," she admonished, smacking his arm without any real force. "I have a bit of a problem letting anyone get too close. You're the first person I've actually _wanted_ to get close to me and the prospect of letting you in is a bit overwhelming. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

He nodded, trailing his index finger along her collarbone in a feather light caress. "Relax, Belle. I told you…I've wanted this…_you_…for a long time and _not_ just because we thought we were going to die."

"…_you_ thought we were going to die," she snorted.

"Regardless," he said with a short bark of laughter. "We'll figure this out…whatever it is we feel for each other…together."

"Alright. I know you want to get back to work and I'm holding up your shower, so…" she said, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips before easing out of his embrace and backing towards the door. "Um…just leave your clothes under the sink and I'll see what I can do with them…once we have water again…" she smiled, slowly turning to leave him, casting one last shy look over her shoulder, confident they would indeed work things out as they embarked on this new phase of their relationship.

Belle returned to Rush's quarters, ready to bang her head against the bulkhead. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ she thought, moving to the porthole and letting the FTL's bright glow calm her. _I feel like a girl with her first crush instead of a woman fully grown. Gah! _She wouldn't lie to herself, no matter how much she wished to do so. She couldn't deny the attraction between them, an attraction that had been there from the beginning…at least on her part. It wasn't so much that he favored Gold, not anymore. When she'd first met him, the fact that they looked so much alike had been what had driven her to want to know him, but that was where the similarities ended. They both tended to hide their true selves behind a mask of indifference, but it had been much easier to break through Nicholas's walls. He wasn't as guarded and secretive with her as Gold had been and it was easier for him to trust her. As much as Gold had loved her…and she was certain he had…she doubted he'd ever been able to fully trust her.

She'd never thought she would find someone she could care for again, and had built up her own walls for fear of being heartbroken once more. Did she really want to take them down now? Could she trust Rush with something as fragile as her heart? She couldn't deny there was something between them, something fiery and electric, and something that left her breathless and tingling from head to toe. But was the physical attraction they shared enough to risk heartache if she should lose him? Their working relationship had blossomed into friendship, but was it capable of developing into more if she would just let him in? He'd suffered loss just as she had. Gloria had only been gone three short years, and when he'd shut everyone else out, she'd been his constant, his rock.

What surprised her the most was the fact that she hadn't run from him when he got too close. The force of that realization nearly caused her knees to buckle. She'd closed herself off from everyone in the years after leaving Storybrooke, focusing on her studies in an effort to bury her heartache. She had changed colleges twice before settling at Berkeley, but something had made her stay…_he_ had made her stay. He fed the craving she had deep in her soul, the desire to connect with another human being on an emotional level. Albeit those emotions stemmed from frustration and anger at first, but he'd done something she hadn't thought would ever be possible. The numbness had receded and she'd finally been able to _feel_ again.

He'd become necessary to her, she thought with a groan. She cared for him, and if she weren't careful, it would be so easy for her to love him. Things were so desperate and uncertain on Destiny, however. Could she really risk her heart when she couldn't be sure of their future? She was so lost in her deep contemplations, she started a bit when the door whooshed open and he strode into the room toweling his hair dry. Her mouth went dry as the Sahara as she took in his form…wet hair, jeans slung low on his hips, his belt loose and the top button unfastened, his chest and feet bare. The towel was clutched in one hand, his boots and shirt clasped in the other.

"Belle…I thought you would be waiting in your quarters," he said, dropping his things on the sofa. "I would have finished dressing—"

"It's ok. You didn't know," she murmured softly. Her head reeled with the desire to touch him, the temptation of all that bare skin nearly overwhelming. She didn't like the way his hand drifted to the back of his neck to knead away the tension that still seemed to plague him. _Do the brave thing,_ she told herself. Her muscles unfroze as she moved to stand before him, her need to comfort him asserting itself. She took the towel from his hand and tossed it onto the sofa next to his boots, tugging him forward. "Let me help?"

"With what?" he asked, his eyes darkening at the first brush of her fingers on his.

She met his curious gaze with a smile. "Lie down on your stomach," she replied, urging him down on the bed.

He frowned suspiciously at her over his shoulder as his knee came to rest on the mattress. "Why?"

Belle rolled her eyes and gave him a gentle push. "Just do it, Rush," she ordered, following after him as he settled his thin frame across the bed, doing as she bid.

He didn't complain as she arranged his limbs to her satisfaction, placing his arms at his sides so his face pressed comfortably against the sateen duvet. She sat next to him, pausing for only a moment before her hands splayed against his lower back. She couldn't resist the urge to run her hands over the broad expanse of his back, soft smooth strokes from his lower back to his nape, just enjoying the feel of his skin beneath her fingers.

She was rewarded with a low moan of deep contentment as he relaxed. "That's it, Nicholas," she fairly purred, her warm breath caressing the shell of his ear as she leaned over him. "Let go. Let me take care of you. Although I can't promise you'll want to go back to work when I'm done with you."

Rush raised slightly from the mattress, but she pressed his head down firmly, tsking. "What are you doing?" he asked, a breathless note in his deep voice.

Belle's warm laughter washed over him, just as effective in arousing him as her firm but gentle touch. "I'm making you feel _really_ good, aren't I, Nicholas? But if you don't relax I can't truly begin," she said, her hands lightly pressing and kneading as she worked over the tight muscles of his shoulders. He shifted his hips against the mattress, grinding into the soft surface. "Nicholas, you're not relaxing."

"How astute of you, Miss French," he snarked, his answer muffled against the duvet, followed by what Belle was almost certain was a string of softly uttered curses…in three languages…one of them Ancient. She didn't even know there _were_ curses in the language of the Ancients. He shook his head fervently. "Can't."

"Yes, you can," she insisted. She pulled her iPhone from her pocket and scrolled through her music, pressing play when she came to a playlist beginning with Pachelbel's Canon and setting it on the bedside table. "There, that should help."

"I like that piece," he admitted, trying to relax his stubborn muscles as she'd asked. "I wasn't aware you favored it."

Belle absently hummed her agreement, sighing happily when she felt him loosen up and sink into a deeper state of relaxation, his muscles becoming more pliant beneath her nimble fingers. She began with the heel of her hand, just above the waistband of his jeans, and stretched out her forearm into the muscle to the left of his spine. As hard as she was pressing, she didn't want to go anywhere near the fragile vertebrae.

"Christ, woman!" he hissed, rearing up to turn and glare at her. Again, she pressed his head back to the mattress and shushed him. "Where did you learn to do this?"

She alternated between her wrists and forearms, slowly working her way up to his shoulders. She didn't answer right away, rising from the bed to kneel on the floor at his head. He raised curious sable eyes to her, the pupils blown wide, desire evident in their depths. She shrugged in response to his question. "I took a class my first semester at Berkeley…for fun. It was frivolous and stupid, but it helped me to relax and I was able to release tension just as easily as my subject."

"I'd say it was money well spent," he murmured hotly as he reached for her.

Belle smacked his hand away. "Stop that," she laughed. "I'm not quite done with you." She positioned his head where his brow was pressed directly to the mattress, his neck straight and aligned with his spine. He stiffened immediately when her hands trailed softly over his shoulders and neck, a hiss of pain streaming from between his teeth. "I know it hurts, Nicholas, but I promise it won't when I'm done," she said, pressing her lips to his ear and feeling the tremor that rocked through his body. "Just relax."

"Talk to me, Belle, please. Anything," he said, trying to stop the instinctual tensing of his muscles. He felt as if he could listen to her talk forever if she continued using that soft, seductive tone. Parts of him were already applauding.

She leaned into the motion, letting her body weight carry her forward as her forearm dug into the knotted tendon between his neck and shoulder. "What do you want me to talk about?" she asked, trying not to let herself get distracted from her practiced techniques. It was distracting enough that he was allowing her to touch him in such a way, her fingers familiarizing themselves with the softness of his skin.

"I don't know…ah…oh that feels so good, luv," he moaned, the sound coming from deep within his chest. "Why don't you tell me why you fear dark cramped spaces?" Her hands stilled in their ministrations and he could feel her closing herself off from him. "You don't have to," he rushed to assure her. "But you never speak of your past, and I thought…"

"It's ok, Nicholas," she said, resuming her movements as she used the heel of her hand on a particularly tight knot. "Some things are just difficult for me to talk about," she hedged, realizing she was being unfair to him. He'd shared so much with her about his relationship with Gloria. It was wrong that she had never told him of her past. "The evil queen stole the princess and locked her away in her tower to keep the princess away from her true love," she said lightly, gentling her fingers as she caressed the base of his skull.

She graced him with a tremulous smile as he lifted his head to look up at her, one dubious brow raised in question. She sighed as her hands fell away from him. She climbed up onto the bed beside him, turning on her side and propping her head in her hand as she faced him. "How do you feel now?"

Rush moved his head from side to side before he rolled onto his back to look up at her. "Better than I have in years," he admitted, rubbing absently at that one spot on his neck he never seemed to find relief from the ache. It didn't throb painfully as his hand came in contact with it and he stared up at her in awe. "How did you do that?"

"It was nothing," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "I've been wanting to try that on you for quite some time, but I know you're not a very tactile person, Nicholas. I didn't want to encroach on your personal space, at least more so than you've already allowed," she explained, ducking her head shyly.

"I didn't think you'd want to," he said mildly, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips to press a kiss to her palm. A rosy blush rose in her neck to stain her cheeks, a pleased smile curling her lips, but her expression was still guarded. "Now, would you like to tell me what you meant by the fairytale analogy?"

Belle bit down thoughtfully on her lip, wondering how she'd be able to clearly explain her complicated past without revealing too much of the truth. Not that she didn't want to be honest with him, she did. But on the other hand, she didn't want him to think she was clinically insane. She dug the memories from the vault of her mind and waited for the familiar pain to assail her, for the ragged hole in her chest to tear just a little more. She gazed down into Rush's warm gaze and felt her heart lighten as he squeezed her hand where it rested against his chest. No more than a dull ache greeted her as the memories flooded through her mind and it brought a smile to her face to realize that he was helping her heal just as she'd helped him.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I seem to have a thing for fairy tales." She took a deep breath, thankful for the patience her usually manic doctor rarely displayed. "I was seventeen when I met Gold. My father had gone to him for a deal…um…to help save his business. Gold was powerful, rich, well connected," she said, struggling to modernize the events of her past for his benefit. "However, papa wouldn't agree to his terms."

"What were they?" he asked softly as he reached up to brush a long curl behind her ear.

"Me," she said simply. "He wanted me. And don't look at me like that, Nicholas. It wasn't like that…at least not at the beginning," she scolded when she saw the look of outrage cross his features. "He thought it would be amusing to have me come to work for him as his maid. Of course, my father threw a fit, refused him, but I knew there was no other way. So I made my own deal with him. I agreed to his deal and left that very day to go to his home."

"You said something about true love. He doesn't sound like someone you'd easily fall in love with, Belle," he remarked dryly, knowing what a tender heart she had. She needed to be treated with the same kindness she displayed for others.

"It took me a while to see behind the cold mask of indifference and the delight he took in making others suffer. It was just a front, to protect his heart. It was easy to love him after that. And we did…fall in love, that is, but he was afraid…afraid that I couldn't truly love him…and sent me away. He didn't know that doing so would leave me vulnerable to his enemies…one particularly nasty witch," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"You're doing it again," he teased. He wrapped his arms about her, unable to resist any longer and pulled her down to lie across his chest. She went willingly into his embrace, propping her chin on her folded hands so she could continue to meet his eyes.

"I know, but she really was," she said, sighing contentedly as he stroked his fingers through her long unbound hair. "I had decided to return and confront Gold and make him see that we could be happy together, but before I could, Regina abducted me and locked me away in the asylum. She said she was trying to protect me…trying to save me from the beast. In truth, she merely wanted to use me as a pawn to gain power over the man I loved. She even went so far as to tell him I'd died."

Rush gaped at her. "He never looked for you?"

"Of course he did, but Regina was powerful in her own right and was quite adept at covering her tracks. He eventually found me and we were happy until…well I don't care to go into that again," she said, her eyes closing briefly as his hands skimmed lightly over her back. "You know the rest. I came to California, tried out a couple of schools before I settled on Berkeley and became your assistant. I just…after being locked up for so long, I have a problem sometimes with dark cramped spaces."

He had to fight to contain the rage that battled through him, rage on her behalf that someone would so mistreat her. His arms tightened about her shoulders and he rested his head atop her crown as she pressed her face into the side of his neck. "You had to grow up fast, didn't you, luv?" he asked.

"I did," she agreed. "But it led me to this wonderful adventure…in space, no less. The work I've been doing challenges me, fulfills me, and I can't say I have regretted a moment of it. It's something I never could have thought of in my wildest imaginings. And…" her words trailed away as she lifted her head to brush her lips to his, enjoying the way they fit so perfectly to her own. "…it led me to you. I may be a little broken, but I want to try…to let you in…if you want me."

Rush rolled over with her, reversing their positions and stared down into her wide eyes, so filled with uncertainty and just a bit of fear. She was trying so hard to be brave, to reach out and grab on to what she wanted with both hands. She was wrapped so firmly about his heart, he'd never be able to let her go. "I've always wanted you, Belle," he said, tracing the curve of her lips with the pad of his thumb. "Even when I was trying so hard to push you away."

"You're sure it's not just because we might die due to some catastrophe that might befall us up here…or because your choices are somewhat limited for companionship?" she asked, looking away as she fought against her insecurities.

He cradled her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze, his thumbs smoothing over the rose-tinted skin of her cheeks. "I could be stranded up here with an all-female crew and I'd still not want anyone but you, Belle. I will always choose you."

Her eyes closed as she wrapped her hand around his nape, her fingers twining in the strands of his soft hair, pulling his head down to close the distance between them. His lips closed over hers almost reverently, gently coaxing the fire that hummed within her into a fiery blaze. He kissed her as if he loved her and it frightened her with its intensity because she couldn't return it with equal fervor. It would take time, but she was willing to try. She cared for him so deeply, and knew it wouldn't take long for those feelings to blossom into love. Then again, she could just be doing what she did best and denying what was in her heart to protect herself.

With Rush she didn't have to compete with dark magic, or formidable enemies, or some curse or crisis threatening to pull him away from her. Of course, there was the animosity that existed between him and the colonel and the threat of limited supplies and malnutrition to deal with, but she felt it was minor in comparison to her life in the Enchanted Forest and later in Storybrooke with Gold. Rush shared his work with her, his thoughts, his ideas. But to have his love? Without any of her previous bad experiences to stand in their way?

It took her a moment to realize he'd stopped kissing her and she flushed guiltily as she looked up at the concern etched on his face. "Where'd you go?" he asked, studying her.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, offering him an apologetic smile. "I was just thinking…that if I had to be stuck on an Ancient spaceship billions of light years from Earth…I'm so glad you're here with me." She pulled him back down to her, this time pushing her wayward thoughts to the back of her mind and giving herself over to the pleasure of his kiss.

He moaned softly as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth and bit gently before sucking it into her mouth. Her tongue pushed past the ridge of his teeth as his arms crushed her tightly to him, his hands unable to be still as they explored her back, slipping beneath the cream colored sweater she wore to smooth over her bare flesh. She could feel him holding back, respecting her need to go slow, but at the moment, all she could focus on was how very much she wanted him. She writhed against his thigh as it slipped between her legs to press against her core, the burning need there more prevalent than her good sense.

"Belle? Belle, have you seen Rush? He's not answering his radio."

"Fucking Hell!" Rush cursed, his head jerking up to glare at the offending walkie talkie he'd removed from Belle's waistband and shoved under the pillow. He brushed Belle's hand aside as she reached for it, taking a moment to trail the flat of his tongue up the length of her neck before biting gently just below her ear. She bucked against him, her nails scoring his back as he clicked the com button. "What is it, Eli?" he asked, his voice hoarse and raspy with desire he hoped Eli couldn't pick up on over the radio.

"Rush? What are you doing with Belle's radio-oh, ah, well…" he stammered in embarrassment as realization dawned on him…or more like smacked him upside his brilliant head.

Belle giggled. She could practically feel the blush heating Eli's face…and slapped a hand to her mouth to prevent the boy from hearing. Rush sucked her earlobe into his mouth and rubbed his thigh against her core, her laughter morphing into a moan. He pressed the com button again. "Whatever crisis has arisen couldn't have waited for our return to the control room, I take it?"

"Um…nevermind…I was running diagnostics and we've got a problem. We're losing water."

Rush groaned and pressed his brow to Belle's shoulder, realizing their time together was at an end. "I'm sorry, Belle, but…"

"…we've got responsibilities, I know," she said, kissing the corner of his mouth before she rolled from beneath him to straighten her clothes and gather his shirt and boots. "Billions of light years from home and I'm still having to suffer interruptions," she grumbled.

Rush laid back and cursed fate. "Eli, we'll be right there."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle groaned as she took the small notepad and took in page after page of algorithms and equations that needed to be entered into the ship's computer. At least it would give her something to keep her hands busy while she listened to the colonel's most recent tirade. Already she could feel the tension radiating from Rush as she stood at his left elbow at the console. All of the hard work she'd put in to get him to relax would be for naught if this kept up.

Young stalked around the center of the control room, and Belle was surprised to see that he'd abandoned his crutch. Eli leaned on the console across from them, propping his chin in his hand, frowning thoughtfully. "Maybe it evaporated when we went through the star," he mused.

Rush shook his head. "No, Eli, it's a closed system."

"Besides, if the shield protected us from feeling the heat, you have to realize the temperature couldn't rise enough to cause evaporation in the tanks," Belle said absently, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

"You know, all that water went somewhere. We're down to half of what we had when we got here," Everett growled, looking at each of them in turn before addressing Rush directly. "You're the one trying to get the recycling system up and running. Maybe there's a leak somewhere."

"No," Eli objected. "The ship says it's fine. And Brody has been over the system more than a few times. He assures us there aren't any leaks. It's solid."

"If what you're saying is accurate…" Rush paused, Belle's rapid keystrokes drawing his attention for a moment. "Belle, that's not what I have written…"

"I know. I fixed it," she answered, her strokes never ceasing as her eyes moved quickly between his notes and the screen.

Rush gave her a skeptical look as he grabbed her hand to still her movements while he double checked her work. "Nicely done, Belle," he said with a small smile, his conversation with the colonel forgotten for the moment. He looked back up, dragging his gaze away from Belle, to find both men staring at him impatiently. "As I was saying, if your findings are accurate, then we've got a serious problem."

"Well, we wouldn't if you did what I asked you to do in the first place," Young sneered, making another circuit around the room in his agitation.

"Oh, please. Can we stick to one problem at a time?" Rush asked, rubbing his hands over his face to quell his irritation.

"Running out of water wouldn't matter if we would just dial Earth and go home," Young replied, bringing up the same argument that kept him and Rush so at odds.

"Bloody hell, not this again," Belle mumbled under her breath as she dug into her pocket for a Jolly Rancher. She hoped the sweet fruity candy would aid in keeping her tongue busy so she wouldn't give in to her desire to argue with the man.

"I've already explained that to you," Rush said, trying for a patience he was far from feeling.

"The ship's recharged, the power reserves are full…"

"That's the point. They're _not_," the doctor insisted. "We're at less than forty percent of their original design capacity. I—"

The colonel cut him off with a mirthless chuckle. "Think I can't tell when somebody just pulls a number out of his ass?"

Rush cast him a look of disgust as he felt Belle bristle at his side. "What?!"

"Uh, _I_ actually pulled that number out of _my_ ass. He's not making it up," Eli interjected, no more pleased with the colonel than the other two occupants of the room.

Rush sighed, wishing the man would just leave him and his team alone to solve their latest issues. "Look, if Destiny was ever capable of dialing back to Earth, it was thousands of years ago when the Ancients originally intended to come here, but not now." He stared Young down for several minutes before the man finally looked away.

"Have Brody check the system again. I need to borrow Eli."

Eli looked back and forth between the scientist and the colonel before following Young from the room. Belle nudged his shoulder with hers, speaking quietly as she began to enter the calculations into the computer once more. "Let it go, Nicholas."

"That man is…"

"…infuriating. I know," she said, commiserating with him. "He's not happy unless he's meddling in affairs he has no knowledge of, but he's our fearless leader after all," she said, rolling her eyes. "And we're subject to his dictates."

"Belle, even if every member of the crew were dipping into the stores and hoarding it away, it wouldn't account for the forty thousand liters that have gone missing," he grumbled, turning to look at her.

She closed his notepad and reached around to tuck it into the back pocket of his jeans, a teasing smile on her lips. "Regardless, we're going to have to find out what's happening to our water supplies before we find a viable planet to resupply. It would be pointless to refill the tanks and have this happen all over again."

His arms came around her, steadying her as she swayed on her feet. The FTL drive had disengaged and the soft tone that echoed through the room alerted them to the countdown clock above the door. "Are you alright?" he asked, his brow furrowed with concern. "You get dizzy every time we drop out of FTL."

"Come on, we need to get to the gate room," she said, urging him towards the door. "And don't worry about me, Nicholas. I had problems with ear infections when I was a child and I still have trouble with my equilibrium at times. You've commented on my clumsiness enough over the years."

Rush took her hand, twining his fingers with hers. "My dear Miss French," he drawled. "You may fall into my arms anytime you please."

X*X*X*X*X

The stargate was already open, the puddle shimmering with a faint glow when Belle and Rush entered the gate room and moved to the primary console. Eli stood next to Riley at the other, a Kino remote clasped in his hands. He'd already sent the Kino through the wormhole and was just waiting for the data to come across the screen on the remote so he could send it to the console. Belle surreptitiously surveyed the occupants of the room from beneath her lashes, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the sly knowing looks some of the crew members were casting in her direction.

Rush felt her tense beside him, her attention clearly focused away from the data scrolling across the screen. "Belle, what is it?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing…yet," she replied evasively. She turned her gaze to the data and gave it her full attention, making it clear she would say nothing more for the time being. "What have we got?"

"There's only one planet in range. We're getting readings now," he said, not liking what the computer was providing for them.

The footage from the Kino gave a clear picture of the area surrounding the gate, a snowstorm raging violently. Eli groaned. "Whoa! Looks like we entered the Hoth system!" He rolled his eyes when he was met with silence and dubious looks. "_Empire Strikes Back?_ The second _Star Wars_ movie? Oh come on!"

Belle shook her head with an indulgent smile playing at her lips. Rush shared a frustrated glance with the colonel and read off the planet's properties. "Minus forty-seven degrees Celsius."

"Is that water ice?" Eli asked, interrupting.

Belle frowned. "Yes, but the atmosphere's dangerously thin. And poisonous. Point one three percent molecular oxygen, ninety five percent carbon dioxide with a hint of argon. Nasty stuff!" she said, wrinkling her nose.

"Yes, but it's the only planet in range and we have little choice," Rush said, archiving a copy of the data into the database.

Young seemed to visibly relax now that an end to their crisis was in sight. "We're gonna have to use the spacesuits we found, but if that brings back half a ton of ice, I'll take it. Shut the gate down for now while we suit up." He lifted the radio from his belt and called for Scott, ordering him to the gate room to prepare.

"Don't even think about it, Belle," Rush growled near her ear.

"Don't know what you're referring to, Nicholas," she answered with wide innocent cerulean eyes.

"You're not going."

"I didn't _ask_ to go."

"You're _thinking _about it," he said with a wry twist of his lips.

"The thought never even crossed my mind." No matter how much she was looking forward to her first trip off world, she didn't want her first foray to be closed up in a space suit. She wanted to feel the breeze on her skin and the sun shining in her hair…and Nicholas at her side with his warm palm pressed to hers.

Rush snorted and switched off the gate.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle stifled a yawn and sipped at the dwindling reserves in her canteen as she pulled up the schematic of the ship and isolated the section Rush had shown interest in exploring when they had time. _If_ they ever had time when something wasn't demanding their immediate attention. The colonel and Scott had donned the Ancient spacesuits and gone down to the planet. They had eight hours of air and eleven hours until the ship jumped back into FTL, so that should be plenty of time to gather the ice needed to replenish the tanks and get back. Rush hadn't been happy to learn the ice near the gate was toxic and the two man team would have to venture farther afield, worried over the time it would take to transport the ice back to the gate. Thankfully, Eli had solved that problem by rigging a sled with Kino's supporting it. The contraption hovered several feet above the ground and would hold a sizeable load for transport.

Rush was still in a bad mood, seething that the colonel had left TJ in charge while he and Scott were off on the planet. Which was why she'd left him in the gate room and returned to the control interface to put some much needed distance between them before his disagreeable temper could spill over onto her. She'd scolded herself for abandoning him to his work, but she wanted to cling to the wealth of feelings he'd stirred in her earlier for just a bit longer. A steady hum of pleasure still burned in her veins and she sighed, wishing she'd turned her radio off when she'd had the chance. The actuality of being in Rush's arms was so much more heady than what she'd experienced in her dreams of him and she wanted more.

She was pulled from her reverie by Greer's clear voice coming over her radio. "Miss Belle, TJ wants Spencer taken into custody until the colonel returns. Any idea where we might lock him up?"

Belle groaned and rubbed a hand over her face before entering commands on her keyboard to pull up a schematic of the ship. "Hang on, Ronald, I'm looking. What did he do this time?"

"Hoarding. We found food _and_ water rations in his quarters. He claims he brought them over when we boarded, but you know his excuses don't hold weight," the master sergeant said over the ranting Spencer was doing in the background.

Her opinion of the marine sergeant dipped another twenty points. Everyone was suffering due to the lack of supplies, yet in his greed, he was only making matters worse. "Ronald, there's a holding area on C deck not too far from the storage tanks. You could probably hold him there until Young gets back. The rooms cannot be opened from the inside, so you probably wouldn't even have to post a guard."

"Will do, Miss Belle, thank you. Greer out."

The quiet of the control room soothed her as she stretched her arms above her head. It could be somewhat eerie without the hum of the FTL drive after growing so accustomed to it, but she liked it. She propped her chin in her hand as she sat forward on her stool and tried to focus on the screen, her eyes drooping sleepily as the data whirred by. She was nearly asleep when the radio chirped again, TJ's soft voice almost a whisper as it came over the open channel.

"Belle, Eli, Rush, anyone…"

"TJ what's wrong?" Belle asked, all traces of sleep banished as she heard the nervousness in her friend's voice.

"I don't know…yet. Do you have a Kino anywhere down here on C that you can send to my location?" the medic asked, trying to keep the note of fear from carrying over the radio.

Belle rapidly flipped through several screens until she could access the Kino near the storage tanks that held their water supply. "I do, TJ, where are you?"

"North corridor. Hurry."

Belle lifted the remote in her hands after linking it to the footage on her console and sent the Kino flying off in TJ's direction, slowing it moments before it collided with the back of her head. She stopped it altogether to hover over the medic's left shoulder. Belle gasped, staring at the screen. "What the hell is that?" she asked, "It looks like a miniature sandstorm."

"There's no wind to make it swirl like that," TJ said, taking a cautious step forward towards the vortex. "It's not sand, either. More like tiny flying…creatures."

As Belle watched through the Kino's camera, the particles swirled and slowly formed into a semi-solid shape, mimicking TJ's face. "Meet me in the gate room. We need to tell Rush."

The swarm swirled again and moved off down the corridor, disappearing from view and TJ relaxed, nodding as she moved away to meet Belle.

Belle was nearly running when she reached the gate room and almost collided with Rush as she halted next to his console. Young's voice could be heard over the com link, cheerful with the news he was imparting. "Destiny, this is Young. We've got pure ice."

Rush nodded in relief as he stared down at the console, holding up a hand asking his assistant to wait until the link was severed. "That's excellent news."

"It's a frozen waterfall. We should be able to break it up into manageable pieces and haul it back," the colonel said.

Rush turned and glanced at the countdown clock above the doorway, noting they had plenty of time. "We'll be ready for you." He turned to Belle. "What's wrong?"

"Why does something always have to be wrong?" she asked defensively, smirking wryly. "Never mind."

TJ and Eli, whom she'd met in the corridor in her trek to the gate room, joined the scientist, crowding around his console. "Did you tell him?"

"Tell me what?" he asked irritably, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat back on his stool.

TJ briefly explained what she'd seen as Belle brought up the Kino footage on the console to show them. Eli stared at them in horror. "So what are we talking about? Like, one little cloud of bugs, or are they all over the ship?" he asked.

TJ shrugged. "I'm not even sure that _bugs_ is the right word for them."

"Ha!" the boy exclaimed excitedly. "What about _cloud_?"

Belle shushed him. "Eli! Keep your voice down. We do _not_ need to incite a panic."

"Well, except the cloud was alive. It was almost like thousands of tiny…" the medic paused, searching for the right word to describe what she'd seen. "…alien creatures."

Rush nodded calmly, listening attentively. Eli shifted, looking nervously at each of them in turn. He nodded his head fervently. "Yeah, I have a problem with _everything_ you just said."

"What you've just described is, uh…well, it's the same as Lt Scott claimed he saw on the desert planet," Rush said quietly.

TJ agreed. "That's what I was thinking and maybe some of them followed him back here."

"We'd have noticed them," Eli argued.

Belle tilted her head to the side, lost in thought. "No, not if only a few came through the gate. They're like tiny grains of sand."

"And then what?" Eli asked dubiously. "Started reproducing?"

TJ rubbed at her temples. "Well, if it's a living organism, then yeah, they would."

Eli paced anxiously before the console, unable to keep still a moment longer. "Ok, so now we've got aliens. What if they start bursting out of our stomachs?"

Belle leaned over to whisper in Rush's ear. "Is that another of his movie references?"

Rush shrugged, never having been a movie buff. He had always been too consumed with his work to enjoy the mindless activity of watching television or going to the movies.

"I don't think they're dangerous. It almost felt like they were trying to communicate."

"Lt. Scott used the same word," Rush stated.

Eli snorted. "Yeah. At the time, you said he was delirious."

"Well, I was wrong, Eli," the doctor hissed. Turning to TJ he asked, "What do you intend to do?"

"Well, I guess we should stop everyone from wandering around the ship," she said hesitantly, hating the role of leadership Young had thrust upon her.

Rush rose from his seat and stepped away so she would have access to the console to make her announcement. His brows rose in surprise as she finished and stepped back. "You're not going to tell them?"

"That we have aliens?" Eli voiced in a snarky tone.

"I think it will be better if we don't…for now," she said and turned on her heel to find Greer.

Eli clucked his tongue in disgust. "You people are always finding a reason to lie. It's not right."

Belle started after the boy as he stalked away, but Rush's warm fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back to his side. "Let him go, Belle. Give him time to cool off."

"He doesn't understand," she said wearily, leaning a hip against the console.

"He will," Rush assured her. "He's honorable and good and only wants to do the right thing, but eventually he's going to have to face the harsh reality that you can't always trust in full disclosure, that it's for the greater good to keep people in the dark. It comes part and parcel with any military operation to keep panic to a minimum."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush stared down at the offending protein bar Belle pressed into his hand and stifled a groan. The damn things tasted like sawdust. At least she'd just refilled her canteen and set it to the side of the console so he'd be able to wash it down. Greer and Eli had a small contingent of soldiers offloading the ice from the Kino sled and she'd taken the opportunity of his distraction to cajole him into eating something. Instead, he slipped the bar into the back pocket of his jeans for later.

Belle had other ideas, however, shaking her head and grabbing for it. She peeled back the wrapper, giving him no choice, and pressed it back into his hand, the look on her face daring him to argue with her. "Eat, Nicholas. It's either this or the sludge; take your pick, but you _are_ going to eat."

He opened his mouth to argue, but before he could protest, she snatched the bar from his hand and stuffed the end into his mouth. "Damn bossy female," he grumbled around the mouthful of protein bar, feeling as if he'd choke on the dry sustenance.

"That's why I get paid the big bucks," she snarked, handing him the canteen.

"Destiny, this is Young. How's it going up there? Hurry it up. We wanna do one more run," came the colonel's voice over the com link.

"We're offloading the sled now," Belle said, taking the canteen from Rush as he hurriedly finished off his dinner.

Eli came over and leaned on the front of the console, rubbing his hands together to warm them and restore the feeling to his numb fingers, Greer having already sent the sled back through the wormhole for another load.

"Just so you know, uh, another matter has come up, Colonel Young. We have it under control," Rush said, grimacing at the bit of food that seemed to be stuck in his throat.

Eli took that opportunity to voice his own view of the situation. "We have aliens on the ship. They just shredded Gorman."

"WHAT?!" Young growled. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"Millions of tiny flying razor blades floating around the ship like piranha," Eli said, waving his hands exuberantly.

Rush's lips curled over his lips as his teeth gnashed together in vexation. "Corporal Gorman is alive. Lt. Johansen is attending to him now."

Eli ignored the doctor's glare and leaned over the console to make sure the colonel heard him. "He's probably not gonna make it."

Belle cut him a heated look, the warning clear in her eyes. "Eli, stop."

"That's it. We're coming back," Young said with a weary sigh.

Rush leaned on the console, his irritation growing. "No, no, no, that's not necessary, Colonel. Eli is overreacting. We believe the creatures are the same as those Lt Scott encountered on the desert planet. They must have followed us back through the gate."

Scott's voice filtered through the link. "No, I doubt those things I saw were dangerous, sir. They helped me."

"Gorman may have provoked them. We'll know more once he comes to," Rush said.

"_If _he comes to," Eli grumbled under his breath.

Rush continued as if he hadn't just been interrupted. "In the meantime," he stressed with a cold look at the boy genius. "Lt Johansen has ordered everyone to remain in their quarters. They're nothing more than a nuisance at this point, Colonel, but we desperately need more ice."

The colonel agreed that they'd deal with it when he and Scott returned to the ship and Rush disconnected the link, glaring at Eli as he did so. "You're gonna have to learn when to shut up," the doctor hissed.

Belle's gaze swung between the two, her own irritation growing. Rush was being overly harsh with the boy and Eli was firm in his belief that the lies needed to stop.

"You can't just lie to the guy and expect me to…"

Rush cut him off. "Once back into FTL, it could be days before we find another planet capable of replenishing our water supplies. This ice represents a _fraction_ of what we need to stay alive. We need _more."_

"Yeah, I _know_, but that doesn't mean that you can…"

"…Yes, it does!" Rush insisted, talking over the boy. "Just stop acting like a child, _please_."

"Enough, you two!" Belle chimed in, making a timeout gesture as she stepped between them. "Off to your respective corners."

Rush continued to glare at the younger man, feeling slightly guilty at the shock and hurt written clearly on Eli's face. He was the first to break their stare-off, turning on his heel to return to the control interface room. "Belle," he called over his shoulder without turning to see if she were following.

"We'll be there in a bit, Rush," she said calmly, her voice flat. There was no use in antagonizing him in front of his protégé. His shoulders tensed visibly as he stalked off down the corridor.

Belle linked her arm through Eli's and smiled kindly up into his cherubic face, leading him slowly from the gate room. Their slow pace would hopefully give both him _and_ Rush a chance to cool off. "Eli, don't let Rush get to you," she said hesitantly. "But you also have to understand his point of view."

"Belle, he's lying! I can't condone what he's—"

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "He's not lying, Eli. He's withholding information with the intention to tell the Colonel upon his return. They are off on that planet trying to secure supplies we need to survive. They're in a very precarious position doing so and they don't need the added stress of what's going on here." She squeezed his arm reassuringly when he didn't answer. "He has all of our best interests at heart. Don't let his rough exterior sour your disposition towards him. We all have to work together."

"It's still not right," he grouched.

"Things are not always black and white, Eli. You have to consider the grey areas in-between." She gently urged him into the control room and took in the doctor's stiff posture where he hunched over his console. "Nicholas, might I have a word out in the corridor?" she asked, her resolve firm as she noticed Rush's hostile gaze.

He didn't protest, however, as he followed her from the room. "Yes, Miss French?" he asked, his voice colder than it had been in a long while.

Belle bristled, her eyes narrowing. "Don't you _Miss French_ me, Nicholas Rush. Especially after you've had your tongue in my mouth," she hissed in an angry whisper as she backed him up against the bulkhead, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

His eyes flared hotly, but he didn't acknowledge her statement, knowing that topic would be better discussed behind closed doors…and without so many clothes. "Belle, he's being unreasonable. He—"

"No, he's not. Nicholas, he was taken…quite literally, I might add…from his home and put into this situation by our military against his will. He's unfamiliar with procedure and proper protocol and doing the very best he can. You can't just talk to him as if his opinions or ideas don't matter."

Rush took her hands in his, sighing heavily when she slid her warm palms over his. "He's going to have to learn, Belle. He can't go running off to Young every time he doesn't agree with me," he said, gentling his tone with her. "Our survival rests on those supplies. They don't need to be distracted while they're down there."

"I know, and I agree with your reasons if not your tactics. He looks up to you, Nicholas. Don't ruin a good working relationship with him because of your temper," she said softly, brushing the hair away from his eyes, her hand coming to rest against his unshaven cheek. "All I'm asking is that you try."

He leaned into her touch, briefly closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Belle, I can't make any promises. This mission is too important to coddle the boy."

"And I'm not asking you to," she assured him. "But if you don't make a better effort to get along, you'll have two options. He will either work _with_ you or _against_ you. It's your choice." She gave him a long searching look and then turned on her heel to return to the control room, leaving him to think about what she'd said.

X*X*X*X*X

"Do you really think it's a good idea to let Ronald run about with a flamethrower…a homemade one at that?" Belle asked as she peered nervously at the screen on the console where she sat next to Rush. "He's enjoying himself far too much, in my opinion."

He snorted, choking back a chuckle. "Well, he's got the bugs trapped now in one of the storage rooms," Rush said, entering the command into the computer and sealing off the ventilation in the room.

"Yeah, but how long is that going to hold them? They've been gobbling up our resources at an alarming rate…_and_ multiplying. We've got to find a more permanent solution," she said, watching anxiously as the swarm began searching for a way out of the room.

"TJ, Rush…" the colonel's voice carried over the com link, a slightly breathless note in his usually deep baritone.

"Yes, Colonel, we're all here," Rush answered as TJ and Eli crowded in around his console on either side of him and Belle.

"We've got a problem. Scott and I were on our way back and he fell through the ice into a crevasse. He's wedged in there pretty good."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Eli said with a shrug of his shoulders. "We still have time on the clock before we jump."

"Eli, it's not as simple as that," the colonel cut in. "During the last tremor, I think the ice tore a hole in his suit. He's losing pressure. Scott says it's hissing out pretty steadily."

Belle covered her mouth with a shaking hand, comforted somewhat when Rush slipped his fingers around her other one. "An hour at most," he whispered quietly to Belle. He pressed the com button. "Colonel, you have to consider the amount of time you have left now."

"I'm aware of the damned time, Rush," Young snarled angrily.

"All I'm saying is that if you delay much longer…"

"Listen to me. I know _exactly_ what you're saying and I'm not going anywhere without Lt Scott, and that's the way it's gonna be!"

A new voice sounded angrily behind them and they turned to find Chloe standing frozen behind them, her hands clenched into fists and her eyes flashing with stunned outrage. "What is the matter with you?" she hissed, her eyes shooting icy daggers at Rush.

Rush flushed in surprise. "Miss Armstrong. You should return to your quarters," he said awkwardly.

"And you know where you can go."

Rush turned back to the console, refusing to get into an argument with the overwrought girl. "Look, Colonel, I understand your desire to rescue Lt Scott, of course. But only you can decide how much time you have left. Lieutenant," he said, addressing Scott directly. "_If_ Colonel Young remains there trying to free you, to pull you up by himself, there's a chance he might not make it back." He squeezed Belle's hand, leaning over to whisper. "How is Park coming with the other suit?"

"She stopped working on it when I confined everyone to quarters," TJ said.

"Just keep the gate active, Rush. We're gonna make it back in time with your damn ice, which is all you really care about," the colonel snapped.

"Colonel—" Rush protested, but the man had already severed the link.

"How can you have such little regard for human life?" Chloe asked, tugging on Rush's shoulder until he turned to face her. "He's one of us! He's doing the best he can…" she said, pausing as a sob rose in her throat to choke her. "He didn't ask to be here."

Belle pushed to her feet, a sympathetic smile on her lips. "Chloe, none of us asked to be here, but we have to think about this from a logical standpoint. We cannot sacrifice everyone for one—"

"Of course you'd defend his actions, no matter how deplorable they may be…now that you're sleeping with him." Chloe sneered at Rush's assistant, all former lines of friendship crossed in light of those hasty words.

Eli nearly choked on his tongue as he stared in horror at the senator's daughter, but Rush's gaze never wavered from Belle. He could feel the cold fury emanating from her petite frame as her brow raised higher and higher by the second. TJ stood frozen, waiting for the other shoe to drop and Belle to lose her temper.

Belle advanced slowly on the taller girl, her hand wrapping around Chloe's wrist in a painful grip. "I think we need to have a little chat, _dearie_," she said with no hint of the sweet woman she projected to everyone.

"Uh…Rush?" Eli asked, his worried gaze trained on the doorway where Belle and Chloe had disappeared. "Should we…maybe…go after them? Chloe's a bit bigger than Belle."

Rush snorted as he turned back to his console, schooling his features into a bland mask so as not to betray the anxiety rising in his chest. "It's not Belle you should be worried about, Eli. Best we get back to work. I'm sure they'll work out their differences."

TJ shook her head. "I'm going down to help Greer with our bug problem."

"What are you going to do?" Eli asked, following her as far as the door.

"I have an idea."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle didn't slow her furious stride until she reached the observation deck, thankful TJ had confined everyone to quarters so the room would be cleared of those who tended to congregate in the cavernous room in the evenings. She let go of Chloe's wrist as they crossed the threshold and palmed the door lock, the great doors whooshing shut behind them. The younger girl was breathing heavily whereas Belle hadn't even broken a sweat. But then, Belle had conditioned her body through her hobby of long runs around the Berkeley campus and later through her sessions with Greer. Both were great stress relievers and now she found herself thankful for taking the time to put her body through the grueling workouts.

Her voice was calm when she spoke to the girl and only one who knew her well would be able to hear the underlying fury. "This habit you've developed of attacking Dr. Rush needs to stop."

"He wants to leave Matt on the planet!" Chloe said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He knew the risks when he went down there. Would you have us lose the colonel as well should he indeed remain there to rescue him?" Belle asked, glaring stoically at the girl. "Choose, Chloe."

Chloe shook her head, angry tears washing down her ashen face. "It's not the first time he's tried to play God with all of our lives and you'll go along with whatever St. Rush throws your way," she said bitterly, thinking of his cold disregard when the senator had sacrificed himself to give them another day to solve the problems with the life support system.

"NO! I'm thinking of this from Rush's point of view. You are thinking like a woman in love. The ice is necessary to the survival of the eighty or so people aboard this ship. It is imperative that it reaches us. If Young stays to rescue your boyfriend, who suffers? The crew for certain as we slowly die of dehydration, but also Scott who cannot be helped at the moment and Young because of his stubbornness."

The fight went out of the girl and she collapsed onto a bench near the center of the room, giving into her anguish. Belle felt a moment of empathy with the girl, putting herself in Chloe's shoes. If Rush were trapped, well…she refused to think on that. She'd been through enough with Gold. She wouldn't put herself through unnecessary anguish thinking _what if_.

She moved to sit beside the girl and wrapped an arm about her shoulders, pulling her to rest against her shoulder as she cried. "Chloe, Colonel Young is doing everything he can to free Scott. You just have to have faith," she said gently, remembering Snow and Emma and their unfailing faith in their family.

Belle pulled a grape Jolly Rancher from her pocket and pressed it into Chloe's hand as her sobs subsided into a few sniffles. The girl smiled, her lower lip quivering slightly as she unwrapped the candy and slipped it into her mouth. "I'm sorry…for what I said to you back there. I didn't mean…"

"Sure you did," Belle deadpanned, stroking the girl's ebony locks. "You meant every word and you know it, but it's nice to hear you say otherwise."

"How can you be so nice and still tolerate Rush?" Chloe asked, incredulously as she lifted her head from Belle's shoulder to meet the woman's gaze.

Belle huffed a short laugh. "You don't know him like I do. Few people do," she admitted ruefully. "After he lost his wife, he only got worse and for a while the only time he would even speak to me was about our work. It took him a long time to get better. Grief can do terrible things to a person." She was silent for a long moment. "Nicholas is like a cactus, for lack of a better reference. He's prickly on the outside with a softness beneath."

Chloe snorted. "You're an odd woman, Belle. And I am _truly_ sorry for what I said in the control room. I had just come in to see if maybe you'd heard something about Matt…and Rush…I was just so angry to hear him say what he did."

"I know," Belle said, reassuring the girl. "But can I ask you what made you think Nicholas and I are sleeping together in the first place?"

Chloe blushed, staring down at her feet. "I…um…well the way you two were kissing in here yesterday. I just assumed…"

Belle bit down thoughtfully on her lip, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Well, we're not."

"Yet," Chloe teased, bumping her shoulder with Belle's.

"Perhaps," Belle relented. "But that's not something that is anyone's business. The entire bloody ship doesn't need to know."

"Miss French!" Belle cringed as she heard that irritated voice screech through her radio. "Where are you?"

"Observation deck," she answered.

"The bugs have been dealt with and Colonel Young is on his way back to the ship _with_ Lt Scott. Gate room…now! Rush out."

Chloe's smile was blinding as she heard the news and took off at a run. Belle's exhaustion prevented such a pace for her now that their crisis was nearing an end and followed at a more sedate walk. She was glad, however, that she and the girl had been able to talk through their problems instead of letting them fester and breed more ill feelings.

The Kino sled was being unloaded when she finally entered the gate room and sat down on the stool next to the console, ignoring Rush's scowl. She yawned widely and propped her chin in her hand as she watched Scott being taken to the infirmary. "What'd I miss?" she asked, yawning again, her eyes drooping heavily. "How did TJ get rid of the bugs?"

"It was really rather clever of her. She had Riley and Dunning wheel a large barrel of water down to where we'd sealed them off. When she had us open the door, they went for the water and she sealed them inside long enough to send the barrel through the gate," he said, consulting his notepad before entering several commands into the computer.

"And Scott?" she asked, her voice slurred with sleep as she rested her head on her folded arms.

"A tremor caused a shift in the terrain and loosened enough to free him. The colonel was able to pull him up and load him onto the sled to drag him back to the gate. He'll be fine," he said, explaining what had gone on while she'd been settling her differences with Chloe. "And what of Miss Armstrong? Have you mended your fences? Belle?" he asked when she didn't answer.

A small smile curved up the corner of his mouth as he looked down at his Belle, sound asleep on one corner of the console. It wasn't the first time she'd lost her battle with fatigue after a long day of working at his side, and surely it wouldn't be the last, but this _was_ the first time he'd be able to put her to bed without having to disturb her rest. He shoved his notepad into the back pocket of his jeans and lifted her into his arms with all the care he could muster, hardly jostling her in the process.

He carried her down the long corridor until he gained the hallway where their quarters were located, pausing a moment to debate whether or not she'd want to sleep with him or her own room. This new phase of their relationship was too new and he hoarded it almost jealously…and it's not like she was awake to argue or protest…and he wasn't the type to molest her while she slumbered. He threw his shoulder into the door lock and carried her into his quarters, laying her gently on the bed, removing the radio from her waistband and sliding her sandals from her feet, taking in the red painted toes with a chuckle. Within moments he had her tucked under the blankets in the center of the bed and she let out a soft snuffle as she turned her face into the pillow.

Rush toed off his boots and socks and pulled the long sleeved t-shirt over his head, tossing it onto the end of the bed for tomorrow. He laid his radio on the nightstand next to hers and slid under the duvet with her, realizing just how tired he was himself. It had been too long since he'd been able to rest properly and he had a feeling having Belle beside him would provide the best rest he'd had in well…forever.

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this week's installment. I struggled with this chapter, I'll have you know. It's definitely not one of my favorites in the series. Next week: Things heat up, issues are dealt with and Telford boards Destiny via the stones to stir up trouble. **

**Thank you so much to my lovely reviewers: Wondermorena, PartyintheTARDIS12 and Twyla Mercedes.**


	7. Earth

**Warning: There's a bit of smut in this chapter, so if that's not your thing, just skip it.**

Chapter Seven: Earth

Rush grunted softly as Belle shifted in her sleep, dragging him out of his own slumber. Her nose brushed against his collarbone and her hair tickled at his upper lip, causing him to smile and tighten his arms about her, one hand slipping beneath her thin sweater to caress her lower back above the waistband of her yoga pants. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so peacefully, not counting the ten hours he'd gotten day before yesterday when he'd had no choice and his body had forced it upon him. He somehow found that if he was forced to drag himself away from his work to sleep, he didn't mind it quite so much as long as Belle was wrapped so securely around him. He glanced at his watch in the dim blue light streaming in through the porthole. One hour before they needed to start their shift. Surprisingly, he wasn't in any hurry to find his way to the control interface room and begin the day. He'd much rather remain where he was with Belle's warm breath fanning hotly against his bare skin, her small hands trapped between them and curled into his chest, and her thigh between his own, pressed firmly against his burgeoning erection.

Rush trailed his fingertips along her arm and over her shoulder, pausing to run his thumb over the sensitive flesh below her ear, smiling smugly when she shifted restlessly against him, a soft moan escaping her parted lips. Slowly, he tilted her chin up, his hand cradling her face reverently as his lips closed over hers. Her eyes flew open, wide cerulean orbs filled with fear, her entire body tensing for fight and flight before recognition washed over her and she relaxed once more, her soft curves melding into his lean lines.

"Nicholas…" she breathed happily against his lips, her short nails scratching lightly against his bare chest as she rubbed her knee gently over his denim-clad crotch. Then it was his turn to moan, the sound lost as his tongue glided over her lower lip. "How'd we get here?" she asked when he released his claim on her mouth to trail his lips along her jaw.

"You fell asleep on the console in the gate room, so I brought you to bed," he explained simply as he pressed his brow to hers. "You should have told me you were so tired, Belle. I wouldn't have asked you to continue working."

Belle freed one of her hands from their prison against his chest and snaked it into his hair, her fingers curling in the soft strands. "You didn't. I chose to work. What can I say," she said, nipping lightly at his lower lip. "You're a bad influence and are quickly turning me into a workaholic."

"You need more rest," he insisted, kissing her again.

"Hello, pot," she teased, giggling as he rubbed his cheek against hers, his stubble tickling her tender flesh.

"I'm serious. We'll have to endeavor to make certain we _both_ get enough rest," he said, sincere in his vow to take care of her. If she insisted on working the same hours as he did, he would just have to make sure those hours weren't longer than what she could endure. He could only hope that he didn't get so lost in his work that he didn't notice when her energy was failing her.

A lazy smile curled upon her lips as she stretched against him, her slow careful movements deliberately provoking his desire. "Speaking of work…"

His hands wandered over her hips and over the curve of her behind, pulling her flush against him with a low rumble of pleasure. "We have time," he murmured, claiming her lips once more.

"Rush! It's about damn time I found you," came an irritable voice from the now open doorway.

Belle buried her head against Rush's shoulder, biting her lip to prevent the curses from spilling out from between her teeth as Rush turned his patented death glare upon the colonel, wishing the man to be cursed with the vilest tortures of the damned. "Did your mother never teach you simple etiquette, Colonel? Perhaps the courtesy of knocking upon someone's door before barging in unannounced?" he asked in an icy tone as he tossed the coverlet off and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"You weren't answering your radio," he said as if that was explanation enough for his rudeness. He cast a glance towards the bed where Belle had pushed herself into a sitting position. "And neither was Belle. Of course, as secretive as you two are, no one had a clue as to where the two of you had procured quarters for yourselves. I've been searching for the better part of an hour!"

"Eli, Greer, _and_ TJ know where our quarters are located. You could have asked any of them, Colonel," Belle said dryly. "Or were you in too much of a hurry to bother?"

"Eli just said you had chosen quarters on this side of the ship, not which one of many you'd selected," he said, scowling at Rush's assistant.

Rush crossed his arms over his bare chest, his glare darkening dangerously as he listened to the exchange, his frustration growing exponentially. "Will we be getting to the point of your visit sometime before the new millennium, Colonel?" he asked tersely.

Belle huffed an irritated sigh and climbed out of the warm bed, padding barefoot to the door. At Rush's arched brow she merely mumbled, "Shower," and left the room, not in the mood for one of their arguments.

Rush rolled his eyes at the colonel and retrieved the forest green long-sleeved tee he'd worn the day before, pulling it over his head. Young cleared his throat, opting for a civil tone. "Look, Camille and I are using the stones this morning to check in with Homeworld command. She needs to meet with her supervisors with the IOA and I need to fill O'Neil in on what's going on. We'd like you to come with us."

"No."

"I know McKay and Jackson are very interest-," he continued, expecting no less than Rush's acquiescence to his request. "Wait, what? What do you mean _no_?"

"Last I checked, Colonel Young, I wasn't suffering from a speech impediment and unless you just don't know the definition of the word…"

"I know what _no_ means, Rush," Everett growled. "Why the hell won't you go?"

Rush's teeth gnashed together in vexation, his lips curling up into a sneer. "Why? Because the one and only time I chose to use the stones, I had the misfortune of switching with Dr. Christopher Peirce and returned to my body to find him sexually harassing Belle," he hissed angrily. "There's no need for me to return to Earth at the present." He didn't mention that he didn't trust his superiors at Homeworld Command not to hold him hostage in order to send one of their people in his place. He'd be captive in a strange body and a billion light years away from his work…and his Belle. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of him touching those stones any time in the near future.

Young frowned, shaking his head. "Why is this the first I've heard of this? The man needs to be reported."

"Well, we've been a bit busy, in case you haven't noticed. Everyone knows what a sexual deviant Pierce is, yet no one has been able to make any of the charges stick against him. He's too well connected. Besides, Belle doesn't want to pursue it as long as the man is not allowed on board Destiny again. You might want to bring that up in your debriefing with the general," Rush said through clenched teeth, trying to reign in his temper where the other scientist was concerned. "Was there anything else, Colonel?"

Young shifted uncomfortably as he pursed his lips, wondering how to broach the next topic without having the doctor's Scottish temper flare to dangerous proportions. "Yes. Do you think it wise to get involved with your assistant?" he asked. There…he'd said it. He forced himself not to take a step back as Rush's eyes darkened and narrowed menacingly.

"I believe we've already had this conversation, Colonel Young. What Belle and I do in our down time is no one's concern but our own," he said, his lips pressed into a thin line of displeasure.

"It does when it affects everyone aboard this ship." Young held up a hand to stave off the angry tirade he felt would be forthcoming. "Don't get me wrong, Rush. I don't have anything against your relationship with Belle. Whatever floats your boat, man, but if things turn sour, your little assistant has the means to fly us directly into the first black hole she comes across."

Rush felt his lips twitch with suppressed laughter. "No, Colonel, she wouldn't take out her anger on the entire crew. She'd probably be more inclined to lock me in my quarters and vent the atmosphere."

Young gaped at the scientist. "Rush—"

"I really wouldn't want to keep you from your meeting," Rush said, giving the man a pointed look to alert him to the fact that their conversation was over. "And I have several matters that require my attention before the beginning of my shift."

Everett shook his head in exasperation as Rush followed him out into the corridor. "Are you sure you won't reconsider coming with us?"

Rush arched a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. "No."

Young simply nodded and turned on his heel, disappearing around the corner with one last shout of "Keep your damn radio on!"

Rush pivoted on his heel to return to his quarters to find his boots when Belle's growl of frustration filtered beneath the bathroom door.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!"

A frown furrowed his brow as he quickly made his way to the frosted glass doors, pausing a moment to knock. "Belle! What's wrong?" He heard more curses…in French, English, _and _Ancient…and something that sounded like _worst __bloody __timing in the history of womankind. _"Are you alright?"

"Nicholas!" came her panicked reply. "Can you do me a favor and go into my quarters and fetch that little pink box out of my rucksack, please?"

He nodded and then realized that she wouldn't be able to see him through the door. "Aye, I'll fetch it," he called and turned on his bare heel to collect her mysterious box. He palmed the door lock and swept into the dark room, the only light filtering into the room, that of the blue FTL lights that surrounded Destiny. Her bright red rucksack wasn't hard to locate. It was in the same spot on her bed where she'd abandoned it days ago. Her bed had yet to be slept in since nearly every moment had been spent at his side, including the two nights she'd fallen asleep in his bed. A smug smile curved his lips when he couldn't find a reason to be sorry for that small fact. If he had his way, she would continue to sleep in his bed.

He pushed his errant imaginings aside and dug into the bag until he found the pink box…or what he thought was pink in the dim light. He took a more careful look at the item in his hands once he gained the corridor. His step faltered when he realized what she'd sent him after…and he groaned. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he cursed, staring down in befuddled disgust at the box of tampons. He very nearly dropped the damn thing. And she'd sent him for the box so she wouldn't have to come out and tell him the problem. "Subtle, Miss French, very subtle."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle thrust her head under one of the jets, letting the mist saturate her long chestnut locks as she continued to curse fate. Seriously, what did the gods have against her? Was she going to be doomed to always suffer one interruption after another? When she'd been with Gold, it was the Charmings with some crisis or new villain to be dealt with. Now she was billions of light years from Earth and a decade removed from the inhabitants of Storybrooke, yet she still couldn't find a private moment with the man she…_whoa…so not going there_, she thought as the breath hitched painfully in her chest. _I do NOT love Nicholas Rush. I might care deeply for him, but I do NOT love him._

Her inner voice snorted…and laughed, chortling_. "Denial."_

"Oh, shut up!" she hissed, smacking the heel of her hand against the shower stall, completely exasperated. She nearly jumped a foot as two sinewy arms snaked around her waist and gently hauled her back against a wet chest.

"I haven't said anything yet," Rush said softly against the curve of her neck.

A whisper soft gasp escaped her parted lips as his hands fanned out over her stomach, the realization the she was very naked…and wet and exposed and vulnerable…with an equally naked Rush, robbed her of breath and sent heat curling through her veins. Her heart plummeted somewhere in the region of her feet because her little monthly visitor had decided to rear its ugly head to totally derail any romantic notions she may have had. _Damnit!_

She covered his hands with her own, her fingers entwining with his to stop the slow patterns he was drawing on her already over sensitized flesh. "I'm sorry, Nicholas," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper as she ducked her head, her wet hair framing her face and hiding the deep crimson color in her cheeks.

"Don't apologize for something that is completely out of your control," he said, taking her chin and turning her face up to place a tender kiss at the corner of her mouth. "You think your body is the only thing I want from you?"

Belle raised her eyes to his, her heart fluttering madly as she took in the softness, the tenderness and something quite frightening in its intensity reflected in his warm sable orbs. She couldn't do this, not now. "I…ah…I should have recognized the signs. I shouldn't have led you on," she murmured miserably, lowering her gaze.

"Are we always going to have such difficulties with communication between us?" he asked, his lips returning to her heated flesh as he trailed hot open-mouthed kisses along her bare shoulder.

She huffed out an exasperated little laugh, biting her lip to hold a needy moan at bay as his hands caressed her sides. "We always have, N-Nicholas. Now, just because we're…um…" her voice trailed away, flummoxed as to what name she should put on this new phase of their relationship. Unable to find a suitable title, she gave up. "I don't see why it will change."

"Now, because we care for one another?" he teased, nipping at a particularly sweet spot just behind her left ear. "Now that we're a bit more than friends?"

"You care for me? It's n-not just sex?" she asked tentatively, her breath labored as his thumbs brushed the sensitive undersides of her breasts. Her hands clamped down on his wrists, refusing to let him proceed further until she had his answer. "Don't tease me, Nicholas."

Rush sighed heavily, ceasing his sensual torment as he wracked his brain for an analogy that would make her believe him. "If I had to choose between years of learning Destiny's mysteries or returning to Earth with you…I would choose you. That is how much I care for you, Belle."

Any other woman would have slapped him…or at the very least come back with some caustic remark, but not his Belle. She understood the meaning behind his hasty and albeit clumsy attempt to relay his feelings to her. "I care for you too," she said with a shy smile as she tipped her head back against his shoulder, finally relaxing into his embrace.

"You're mine, Belle…say it," he commanded roughly against the shell of her ear as his arm wrapped possessively about her hips. "You know I don't do anything half measure. I need to know that you belong to me," he rasped, sucking her flesh into his mouth at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, marking her. "I need to know you want this just as much as I do."

"Yours," she breathed, her head swimming with desire as her body thrummed with the sensations brought about by his skilled fingers. In truth, she'd always been his, from the moment she'd gazed into his dark sable eyes so filled with the pain of loss and despair of ever finding happiness again. She'd been his assistant, his friend, and now his lover and there was no denying that a part of her belonged to him whether she wanted to admit it or not. She wanted…_no, needed…_to belong to this man. He was worth risking her heart again. He was _her_ Nicholas, and if she yielded herself to him, so would he yield to her. He would belong to her just as much as she would belong to him. "Yours," she repeated, more fiercely than before as she tipped her head up to capture his lips, to lose herself in his kiss, his touch.

A moan caught in Rush's throat, his arms tightening perceptively about her as her hot little tongue thrust into his mouth with more passion than she'd shown him thus far. She pressed her hips back, arching into his erection, seeking more contact, more friction and he would not deny her. He trailed his questing hands up her sides and lifted her arms, encouraging her to wrap them around his neck.

"Nicholas, we can't…" she whispered, blushing furiously. "I—"

"Shh," he murmured, his hands returning to draw comforting circles over her belly. "Just let me touch you, Belle." His tongue laved over the bruise purpling on her neck and he smiled as a whimper escaped her parted lips, pleased that he already had her quivering in his arms.

Belle nodded jerkily, incapable of speech…something neither of them had thought possible…and curled her fingers into the sopping strands of his hair, tugging none too gently each time his lips found a particularly hot spot on her neck. Emboldened by her response, he cupped her breast in his hand, the mound fitting perfectly in his palm as he squeezed gently. He worried the taut nipple, his nails scraping deliciously against the rosy bud as his left hand glided over the outside of her thigh and then slowly inched upwards towards her heated center.

Rush screwed his eyes tightly shut as she writhed against him, his engorged cock trapped between his belly and the smooth curve of her behind, fighting diligently to stop himself from giving in to the urge to spill himself against her. This wasn't about him, but her…all for her. Her hands fell from his hair and ghosted over his hips, her nails digging sharply into his flesh as he cupped her sex, the heel of his hand grinding against her pubic bone.

"_Críost trócaireach, mo chroí!"_ he growled, unable to stop himself from bucking his hips forward against her. He returned her arms to their previous position around his neck. "Don't let go."

"B-But I want to touch you too," she complained, tugging on the ends of his hair as she slipped her fingers along his nape, scratching lightly.

He nipped at the lobe of her ear in punishment for arguing, a smile playing at his lips. "Later."

"But—ahh!" she wailed as he pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the motion sending heat spiraling south to her already throbbing sex as he slipped one long finger between her folds. "Nicholas!"

Belle thrust back against him so forcefully, overwhelmed by the sensations he evoked in her, he lost his balance and fell back into the shower stall with a soft _oomph. _Yet, he retained his grip on her. "You like that, my Belle?"

"You know I do!" she croaked, her voice hoarse with passion, her breathing labored as she ground down on his hand. "Don't stop, Nicholas, please."

Rush circled her clit with his thumb, never giving her the direct pressure she craved, teasing her until she was writhing and mumbling incoherently in Ancient. He thought she might have cursed him there a time or two before he dipped a finger into her opening, pressing deeper and curling it to rub against a spot that had her howling. He groaned as she thrust her hips back into his throbbing arousal, unable to decide if she wanted the pressure of his hand or his cock. She was so hot, so wet, her body's natural fluids coating his fingers as he sought to bring her more pleasure. He covered her lips with his, his tongue thrusting into her perfect mouth in time with his probing fingers, so lost in a haze of pleasure he wouldn't have cared if the entire crew had walked in on them. Thankfully, they had relative privacy on this side of the ship…something for which he had his sweet girl to thank.

Taking advantage of his distraction, she reached back between them and cupped him, her fingers, gliding along his shaft, slick with the mist that surrounded them. He broke their kiss, his eyes flying open to meet her lust-filled cerulean gaze, his hand pumping faster into her, perhaps a bit rougher than he would have liked, but she moaned her pleasure against his ear, encouraging him not to stop. She came with a shout, her walls clamping down hard around his fingers, her legs nearly giving out from beneath her. His arm tightened around her waist, supporting her as he thrust into her hand, her fingers painfully tight around his cock.

"Belle!" he cried, clasping her to him as he came hard, his seed spilling out against her pale flesh. He buried his face in her neck, biting gently at her already bruised flesh as he slumped against the shower stall at his back. It took him more than a moment to come down, for his breathing to return to normal. He turned her in his arms so her back would take the brunt of the mist spraying from the nozzles, and used his hands to clean her, his lips ghosting kisses over her temple as she rested against his chest. She allowed him to care for her without a word, content to let him minister to her.

He turned off the spray and reached for the large black towel hanging over the stall door, wrapping it about her before he lifted her in his arms and carried her out, setting her on the counter by the sink. "You alright?" he asked, brushing the wet strands of her hair away from her face.

Belle looped an arm around his neck, cradling his stubbled jaw with her free hand as she pulled him in for a tender kiss, and dispelling the worry that lingered in his dark eyes. "Never better."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush growled his disgust as he looked down at the untouched nutrition 'sludge' in his bowl, ignoring the disapproving glare Belle cast him as she took a bite of her own breakfast. She nudged him gently and nodded towards his bowl. "Nicholas, I know it's not the English muffin with sausage and extra crispy hash browns you favor, but it's all we have. Please."

His stomach gave an audible rumble at the mention of his favorite breakfast sandwich and it was with great reluctance that he lifted the spoon to his mouth to appease her. He was rewarded with one of her bright smiles and he felt it was worth choking down the foul substance if it would make her happy.

"You're sure you don't have any more of that instant coffee hidden in the depths of that bag of yours? It would make this much more palatable."

Belle's face fell, her hand reaching for his nape to smooth her fingertips over the tension sure to be building in his neck. "No, I don't," she murmured sympathetically. "Hopefully, the next planet we're able to explore will have appropriate vegetation to enable me to make a proper tea blend. With the testing equipment we have on board, we should be able to find something nontoxic that will brew up quite nicely."

"Always the optimist," he said, shaking his head before tipping the bowl to his lips to hurriedly finish off the contents held within. He frowned as she pushed her half eaten breakfast at him. "Oh, no," he protested. "I've eaten my share. Finish it."

"I'm not hungry," she grumbled, rubbing her stomach absently. "You eat it, so it doesn't go to waste."

"Belle," he complained, his face twisting into a grimace. He held his breath and choked down the 'sludge' in one long swallow and then stacked her bowl on top of his. Becker nodded politely as he came by and whisked the dishes away. "Why don't you go back to bed if you're feeling poorly?"

"I can't. I need to talk with TJ about my little problem, which come to think of it is going to be the problem of every female aboard soon, I need to have Riley charge both my iPhone and our laptops," she said, patting the case sitting on the bench beside her. "And there's so much work to do I'll probably be swamped the rest of the week."

"Eli, Brody, and Park can help with the workload."

Belle arched a brow. "I see you didn't add Volker into that list," she retorted in a dry tone.

"Belle…" Rush said warningly.

"Fine," she agreed, heeding his warning where his least favorite astrophysicist was concerned. "And there's also several bays on C deck that I promised Ronald I would investigate with him. There's some equipment in one of them that might be quite valuable, but he hasn't been able to figure out what they do."

His visage took on the darkness of a thundercloud at the mention of the master sergeant and he felt the first stirrings of jealousy twist his gut. "You're going exploring with Sergeant Greer?" he asked, trying to maintain a neutral tone so she wouldn't pick up on the storm brewing within him.

Belle caught the slight tensing in his shoulders, however, and leaned close to his ear to whisper. "Don't be jealous, Nicholas," she crooned softly, her warm breath hissing hotly against his ear and sending gooseflesh to pepper his arms. "I'm certain by now that everyone who's entered the mess has seen the love bites on my neck. They know who I belong to."

A smug, self-satisfied smirk curled one corner of his mouth and he didn't even get upset when Colonel Young and Camille sat down opposite them at their table. "Rush, we need to talk."

Becker brought over a bowl of rations for Young and Camille and the colonel grimaced as he lifted his spoon. Belle sipped from her cup of water as she regarded them steadily. "Your meeting didn't go well with General O'Neil?"

Camille raised her brows and shrugged. "Meeting? More like an ambush," she said bitterly. "Definitely not what we were expecting."

Rush tapped his fingertips against the side of his cup and pasted a scowl on his face, impatiently waiting for the colonel to explain. "I thought this was merely a routine debriefing, Colonel."

"Yeah, well, it seems HWC is all for trying to get us home and the IOA is on board with their approval. They seem to think the situation aboard Destiny is too dire for us to remain on board and are willing to take the risk," Everett explained, waiting for an explosion of Rush's temper and all the reasons as to why this could become an epic disaster.

Rush's teeth clenched with enough force to chip the enamel as he raised a hand to rub over the stubble on his jaw, but his voice remained calm. "And I'm sure the science team has worked through every variable and can guarantee our safety and the safety of the ship with one hundred percent certainty," he drawled acidly.

"Nicholas," Camille said, drawing his angry gaze. "Of course there are risks, but Director Strom assures me this is in our best interests. The president wants this."

Belle narrowed her eyes on the IOA representative, taking offense at her casual use of his given name. "Strom is a hack trying to further his career, _Camille._ He thinks if he can be instrumental in bringing us home that he'll get a nice fat promotion and a hefty bonus. Then he might be able to afford his mistress," she added with a smirk. "Question is…what's in it for you?"

Camille's eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise as she gaped at Belle, wondering how the girl came by her information. And though she was reluctant to admit it, Rush's assistant was usually spot on with her intel. "What? How do you know—"

Belle waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, please. No one ever pays attention to me," she scoffed. She blushed prettily when she looked up to find Rush's gaze on her, his eyes filled with appreciation.

Rush slipped his hand into hers on the bench between them and turned his attention back to the colonel. "What did you tell O'Neil? Have you agreed with this foolhardy plan?"

Young didn't answer immediately, regarding the scientist warily. "Is this really about some deep concern you harbor for the people on board this ship…" he said, pausing briefly. "…or are you afraid you'll be replaced when the original away team is eventually brought on board?"

Belle could feel the tension radiating from Rush as he stared at the colonel and she gave his hand a light squeeze of reassurance. "Well," Rush said with cool disdain. "The decision is ultimately yours, Colonel." He rose to his feet and pulled Belle up beside him, reaching for her bag containing their laptops. He gestured for her to precede him from the mess, but couldn't resist one more dig at the man's command. "Let's just hope you make the right one."

Young pushed his bowl aside and rested his chin on his folded hands, sighing in frustration. Camille pushed her own rations to the side and placed a comforting hand to his shoulder. "You really didn't think it would be easy to convince Dr. Rush, now did you?"

"No," he admitted ruefully, "but it would have been nice, just this once, for him to put the needs of the crew above his own. He doesn't want to leave Destiny and doesn't care who's here against their will as long as he gets to remain. O'Neil isn't going to be happy with Rush's reluctance to implement this new plan."

"HWC and the IOA are already convinced Rush doesn't want to come home. I doubt that his reservations are going to be taken into consideration. This is what's best for everyone on board," she said, trying to be convincing as she'd been ordered by her superior. _Make this happen, Camille._

Young pushed himself up from the table and went in search of Scott and TJ to seek their advice and counsel, leaving Camille to sort through her own agenda.

X*X*X*X*X

Colonel Young stuck his head into the control interface room warily. Hours ago, when he'd come in to speak with Rush again about their new predicament, Belle had nearly snapped his head off. "Colonel, there are more pressing problems than a fiery death as the ship explodes. It would probably be less painful," she'd snapped. "Fiery death and dismemberment are better than every woman on board this ship realizing that there are no fucking tampons stocked in the infirmary!" He'd flushed ten shades of red and left just as quickly as he'd entered, not even _thinking_ of debating that issue with Rush's assistant. He'd simply mumbled quickly for Rush to see to the matter on his way out the door, ignoring the doctor's dismayed cry of, "Why the hell is this my problem?!"

"You can come in, Colonel," Rush drawled from where he sat at his console, an amused smirk on his face. "Belle has gone exploring with Sergeant Greer."

Scott prodded him into the room from behind and he took in those assembled for their impromptu meeting. Taking note that everyone working the problem was in attendance, he nodded to Eli to begin.

"The ship doesn't have enough power to dial back to Earth and - as we've seen recently - when the ship runs out of juice, it finds a star and refills its tanks. Now, theoretically, at that time the full power of the star should be available to us. Yeah. It's brilliant! ... _If_ we can somehow use the ship as a conduit and channel the star's energy into the Gate as we dial. The problem is the 'whole ship as a conduit' part," he explained hurriedly.

TJ sat forward on her bench, eyeing the young genius. "Well, does anyone know when the ship will run out of power again?"

Eli shrugged. "It's tough to tell. Based on current usage, probably gonna be several months."

Brody leaned heavily on the console next to Eli. "Not if we can drain the power faster."

Eli's gaze swung to Brody. "Right! That's the part of the plan that sounded a little vague."

Rush sighed as he consulted his notebook and then tossed it onto the console, realizing he'd get no work done until the meeting was over and they'd cleared out of his space. "Given how little we know about this ship ..."

"Can't we at least try it, and abort if something goes wrong?" Camille interrupted, exasperated.

"Well, unfortunately, the _something goes wrong_ part would most likely mean the ship exploding," he bit out.

"Not according to the people who came up with the idea," Young said, pacing around the center of the room before arguing his point. "They seem to be confident they can make this work."

Rush rubbed at his right temple and prayed for patience. "Well, if only all science was that definitive, Colonel. You're just going to have to choose who you want to believe."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush stalked along the corridor on C deck, glowering down at the radio in his hand. "_Where are you, Belle?"_ he growled. She'd been gone since early that morning and he was beyond irritated. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him without his assistant there to act as a buffer for his temper. Now Eli and Chloe were joining Colonel Young in using the stones. He would be returning to give the general his decision and Chloe and Eli would be enjoying some downtime with their families. He had to admit the time away from Destiny would probably do them some good, but he couldn't help but resent the strangers roaming the corridors of _his_ ship in the meantime. "_Belle!"_

Finally, her melodious tones came through the radio, answering him in Ancient. She slipped into the coarse dialect, speaking it just as fluently as he did. "_I'm here, Nicholas. It's not like I stepped out for a bit of fresh air," _she snarked, giggling.

"_That's not funny."_

"_Sure it is. You're just in a bad mood,"_ she returned_. "Ronald and I are on C deck, past the long row of water tanks, third corridor on the left."_

Rush frowned, mentally mapping her instructions as he turned down the corridor she indicated_. "That part of the ship is sealed off. We haven't had time to—"_

"_Just because you haven't explored this section doesn't mean it's sealed,"_ she said patiently_. "Rush, just hurry. I can't wait for you to see what I've discovered."_

He quickened his pace, glad the corridors were illuminated so he wouldn't have to resort to the penlight he kept in his back pocket. He huffed a little laugh, thinking of Belle's enthusiasm with any and all things she found on the Ancient ship. Her discovery could be as simple as a crate of dishes. And he had to admit he could use the distraction. He was not, however, expecting to walk into the room she'd directed him to…and find her well rounded behind hoisted up into the air for all to see. Her torso was buried in the bowels of some type of machine and Greer had his hand on the back of her left thigh to keep her from toppling into the contraption.

"Sergeant Greer," he snarled with quiet menace, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. "What is going on here?"

Before Greer could answer, a wad of wet cloth sailed over Belle's shoulder and smacked the sergeant in his grinning face. Her head popped out of the machine with a triumphant smile. "Got it! It was tangled around the agitator," she said, casting Greer a look of apology as he helped her back to her feet. "Nicholas," she said, turning her hundred-watt smile on him as she moved to greet him.

His entire demeanor softened towards her as he reached up to brush an errant curl behind her ear that had escaped the ponytail secured at her crown. "You missed the meeting," he said lightly. "Young is returning to Earth to inform Homeworld Command of his decision." He studied her face, noting the lines of stress near her mouth and eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Not my best, if you must know," she said with a shrug. "I thought it would be wise for me to distance myself from as many people as possible in my present mood. You realize this issue with O'Neil and his IOA flunkies is not going to end well."

He glanced over her shoulder to see Greer gathering the wet clothing and transfer it to another machine, making sure he was distracted before he gave Belle his answer. "It's out of our hands…for the time being."

She followed his line of sight and hummed her agreement before she took his hand and led him over to the bank of machines built into the hull. "I'm so excited, Nicholas. Laundry facilities!" she exclaimed, beaming at him. "This is going to make everything so much easier. They seem to work on the same principle as the showers, using a mixture of limited water and this cleaning solution that beads into a mist. I've already taken the liberty of testing it. Take a look."

Rush's brows rose in surprise. "This wasn't on the schematic," he said, moving forward to inspect the first machine.

"It was there. However, it was mislabeled as a storage room. Understandable considering the number of Ancient crates we found in here. Ronald and I have barely scratched the surface with those."

He whirled on her sharply, a deep frown furrowing his brow. "You've opened the Ancient crates? There's no telling what might be in those _sealed_ boxes. I expressly forbid you—"

"Oh stuff it, Rush," she admonished with a dismissive wave of her hand before tugging on his arm to show him the treasures she'd unearthed by disobeying his orders. "Wait until you see."

"Watch her, Dr. Rush. Once she gets started, it's difficult to get her out of those crates," Greer called teasingly after Belle as he switched on the dryer. He chuckled merrily as she turned and rolled her eyes at him.

The lids were stacked neatly off to the side to reveal the contents of the crates and Rush couldn't hold back the grin that spread over his face. "This is incredible."

"Isn't it?" Belle gushed happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet in her excitement. "There's a crate of paper tablets, another filled with bedding…blankets, sheets, pillows. That's the largest one over there," she said, pointing to one against the far wall. "There are also some filled with cookware, cutlery, dishes and other things that will come in handy in the kitchens once we find a planet with some viable food sources. There are towels in that small one over there. We'll need to have someone cart those up to the lavatories. Here, give me a boost," she said, anchoring a hand onto Rush's shoulder and holding up her foot.

"Belle, I'm not going to help you climb into one of those crates. What if there's something hidden in the bottom and –"

"Pfft! Cup your hands," she argued. "I have to get in to reach what I want to show you. The hazards of being short," she said with a wry smile. "Besides, I've already explored this crate and it's perfectly safe."

Rush shook his head at her and cupped his hands beneath her sandal-shod foot, lifting her slight weight to give her a boost to sit on the edge and then drop down easily inside. She disappeared from view and he hurried to the edge to look inside. A second later, her hand appeared holding what looked like a jumpsuit…followed by a pair of trousers and a shirt, a pair of boots and several pairs of socks. The jumpsuits and trousers were black in color and seemed to be made of some type of lightweight sturdy material he'd never seen before, something clearly man made by the Ancients and durable enough to last. The shirts, colors ranging from white to grey or dark green, were also light in weight, sturdy, but of the softest fabric he'd ever touched.

"So much for the Colonel's orders to leave the Ancient crates untouched," he remarked dryly.

"Nicholas, darling, you are killing my buzz!" she snarked, peering over the edge of the crate at him. "There are four more crates with similar items in various sizes. Some of the members of the crew only have the clothes on their backs and aren't as fortunate as you and I. Think of what this discovery will mean to them. And there are more than enough for everyone on board."

"You're right about that," he said, taking in the sheer amount of crates that were still unopened. "It's not so farfetched to think that the Ancients would have thought this far ahead considering they were eventually planning to use the gate to come aboard to man the mission." He glanced over his shoulder to locate Greer and assure himself the sergeant was busy before he stepped to the edge of the crate and caught her lips in a swift kiss. "Well done, my Belle."

Rush didn't easily dole out praise…or often…and Belle beamed with pride. "With…um…with the extra bedding, I think I may also have solved our other problem," she murmured, ducking her head sheepishly as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "I'll have to get with TJ on that project immediately. I need to show her the crate full of what looks like medical equipment as well."

"Yes, well," he said uncomfortably. "Let's worry about that after we get you out of there."

"I still think it would have been better if she'd found a freezer full of Angus burgers and bags of French fries." Greer said with a chuckle as he sauntered over to the crate and gave Rush a hand at lifting Belle out of the crate. "You know all this is fine and good, but it's going to be a short celebration if Homeworld can get us home." Rush and Belle snorted at the same time and then shared a look of mutual surprise. Greer cast them a blank look, now seeing why Eli found them creepy at times. Rush had his own mini me. It came with spending entirely too much time in the other's company…or on the rare occasions that he'd seen…soul mates.

"Greer, come in. Where the hell are you?" came Scott's voice over the radio.

"I'm here, sir," Greer answered.

"Rush isn't answering his radio and I need him in the communications lab. We have a situation."

Rush lifted the radio from his belt, inspecting it briefly, and realizing he'd left it on the frequency he and Belle used exclusively. He shrugged and switched it back to the open channel used by the military personnel and his science team alike.

"We're on our way now."

Belle linked her fingers with Rush's and let him lead her from the room, casting one last longing glance over her shoulder. "I really hope it's not some dire catastrophe. I want to see what else I might find. Eli can help when he returns. He's been dying to get into some of the Ancient crates."

Rush smiled at her enthusiasm. "Let's hope."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush took one look at the rigid set of Lt. Scott's jaw and the cold gleam in his eyes and knew things had just gone from bad to worse. He studied the colonel and groaned inwardly as he noticed the odd posture. "Colonel Telford," he acknowledged. He could practically hear Belle grinding her teeth as she stood beside him.

"Dr. Rush…and the insubordinate Miss French," he said in a cold voice. "I'll just get right to it, shall i? I've been ordered to enact the rescue plan put forward by the IOA."

Rush felt his gut twist with a mixture of anger and trepidation. "Rescue plan?" he asked, wanting his suspicions confirmed. He shifted to the right barely an inch towards Belle in an effort to protect her from the colonel. There had always been a mutual dislike between the two, but he and Young had always been there to intervene. There was no telling what the man would do to her if left to his own devices.

If Telford recognized the protectiveness of Rush's stance, he chose to ignore it. "I brought Doctors McCormack and Williams with me," he said, referring to the new inhabitants of Eli and Chloe's bodies. "I believe you know them."

Rush nodded. "Indeed."

"I've already set them to work," Telford said, continuing despite the charged tension between them. "Effective immediately, _I'm _assuming command of the Destiny."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush was worried…well, more worried than usual when he was confronted with Telford and his ambitions. This time he had more to consider than just himself. This time he had Belle to think about and he would be damned if he let that egotistical prick hurt her, even inadvertently. Telford had assembled the crew in the gate room, flanked by the scientists he'd brought along and the ever present IOA brown nose, Camille Wray. He and Belle sat at the primary console and he dimmed the lights in that corner of the room in deference to the headache she was suffering. She hadn't said a word since they'd left Telford and his flunkies in the communications lab and he knew from experience the wealth of anger she harbored, thrumming just beneath the surface.

He leaned his right elbow on the console and propped his chin in his hand, his left wrapping around Belle's waist, making it clear that she was more than welcome to use him for support for her aching back. She relaxed back against his chest with a relieved sigh, but her arms remained defiantly crossed over her bosom. She hadn't even spoken when she'd gone to fetch a jumpsuit for Dr. Williams nor had she answered the questions of where she'd gotten it. Silence from Belle was _never_ a good sign.

It didn't help her simmering rage any that one of the first acts Telford performed with his new command was throwing Greer back into lockup for the offense he'd committed on Icarus. Her circle of friends were slowly dwindling and there was nothing she could do about it. Her nails dug painfully into his thigh and he winced as he returned his attention to the questions flying back and forth across the cavernous room.

"And what if the power flow can't be controlled?" Riley asked.

Belle pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. It was entirely too strange to see Dr. Williams speaking with Eli's voice and moving with such calm grace instead of the frenetic energy that abounded in the boy. "Well, if there are any dangerous fluctuations, we just shut it down and allow the ship to continue powering up."

"Early tests show it _should_ work," Brody said a little dubiously.

Telford sighed wearily as he turned to address the crew. "We're not going to be putting you in any more danger than you're already in just being here."

Belle snorted and cut her eyes over at Rush as he gently squeezed her hip, warning her to remain silent until they were alone.

Doctor McCormack shifted nervously, still not quite comfortable in Chloe's body. "From what I gather, supplies are desperately short. And given the condition of the ship, it could experience a fatal breakdown at any time."

"_I'm sure they won't give a damn about the condition of the ship when they're assembling the away team to re-board her,"_ Belle snarled in a heated whisper near Rush's ear in Ancient. Riley, Volker and Park were the only crew members who would be able to understand her statement, and they were across the room_. "They're only thinking about their agenda and could care less about the loss of human life."_

Rush shook his head, but still refused to answer. He wouldn't give Telford an excuse to look closer and find the seething rage lurking just beneath his own skin.

Camille stepped up to quell the nervous whispers generating about the room. "No one is trying to alarm you unduly, but we can't continue to scrape by barely surviving."

"Obviously we can't say for sure that this is going to get you home, but the best minds that we have are working on this and I'm sure you'll agree ..." He turned and caught Rush's eye, making sure the doctor was listening well to his impassioned speech. "…it's well worth pursuing."

Rush slid off his stool without a word, grabbing Belle's hand as he went to insure that she followed, and stalked out of the gate room.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle took a deep breath and focused on the cables in her hand. She was really trying to focus on the work she was doing to help Brody convert the useless wires into an adapter that would allow them to make their laptops compatible with Destiny's computer. At least the interlopers hadn't taken over the control interface room, instead feeling more comfortable working in the gate room for the time being. Brody laid a hand over hers and gently removed the mangled mess from between her fingers.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, scrubbing both hands over her face in an effort to restore calm to her shattered nerves.

"It's ok. I think I've almost got this one ready," the engineer said quietly as he concentrated on his task.

"Belle, why don't you take a break," Rush said from across the room where he sat at his console. "You won't be able to do more until the diagnostic of the weapons system is complete."

"_I'm fine, Nicholas,"_ she said, slipping into Ancient. "_I just can't seem to relax knowing those stooges are in the ship's computer with the express purpose of destroying our ship."_

"_Yes. Many of the power conduits have been badly damaged, and firing the ship's weapons system—without either repairing them or isolating the damaged areas—would be prohibitively dangerous,"_ he said, ignoring the exasperated huff from Brody because he couldn't understand them. He would never be on board with Telford's plan to drain the ship's power using the antiquated weapons system. It needed work.

"_We could easily resolve this matter, Nicholas, if we could just disconnect the stones."_

Rush sighed and raked a hand through his hair, giving her his full attention. "_And how do you propose to do that when Telford has the communications lab under guard? Believe me, Belle, I am open to suggestions."_

Belle's shoulders drooped dejectedly. "_Colonel Young wouldn't put us all at risk. I don't understand why the general would even agree to this."_

"_He's under pressure from the IOA and the president. His choices are limited."_

"I hate to interrupt what I'm sure is a fascinating conversation," Brody snarked, bristling that he hadn't been included. "But I think I have it," he said, holding out the adapter to Belle. "You wanna give it a try?"

Rush's brow creased as he watched his assistant take the cable from Brody. "You're sure this is going to work without Destiny overloading the hard drive and frying our laptops?" he asked, rising from the seat at his console and moving to stand behind Belle at hers.

"It'll work, Nicholas. Before Eli left…when we first started discussing the possibilities…we wrote a program that would stop the ship's computer from inadvertently downloading data into our laptops." She pulled up the program on her computer and entered the commands to begin, plugged the adapter into the port on the console and hit enter. Her mouth immediately fell open in dismay as the console whirred to life beside her.

"Unfortunately, you two geniuses didn't write anything into the program to prevent Destiny from accessing your own data," Rush said with a chuckle. "I'll have to amend it before we try this with my own laptop."

"Crap!" she cried. Her fingers flew rapidly over the keyboard to prevent her files from merging with Destiny's mainframe to little avail.

"Let's just hope you didn't have a virus on your laptop," Brody said as he watched the files transfer. "Wow, Belle, just how many music files did you have on there?"

Belle looked from him to the computer sitting on her lap. "Damn, I left my flash plugged in! And don't castigate me for my music. It helps me concentrate." A small smile played at her lips as she remembered Gold introducing her to iTunes. She had nearly as many music files on her flash as she had e-books on her Kindle and that was saying something.

Rush's hand crept along the back of her neck, gently massaging the tense muscles there as he leaned over her shoulder to peer at the screen of her laptop. "Well, at least you have a backup now," he said with a chuckle.

"Very funny, Nicholas." She entered a few more keystrokes and downloaded the completed diagnostic of the weapons system onto her laptop. "There. The program works at least."

Brody began going through the files that had uploaded into Destiny's computer on the console and then paused as the sound of guitar and drums filled the room. Rush's gaze swung to the man in horror. "I'm working on it!" the engineer yelled over the din.

Rush moved back to his own console and then turned his gaze to Belle. "It's on the intercom system! This infernal noise is blasting all over the ship!"

Belle bit her lip to stifle the laughter bubbling to her lips, but wasn't able to hold it back for more than a moment as AC/DC's _Highway to Hell_ filtered loudly from the hidden intercom speakers. Brody joined in her laughter, tapping his foot along with the music. "Oh, come on, Rush. Could we have chosen a more appropriate song?"

Rush dropped his head in his hands, wishing for a pair of industrial strength earplugs. "TURN IT OFF!"

Belle's eyes narrowed slyly and she quickly entered a series of keystrokes on both her laptop and the ship's console. "Um…I think I'm going to take that break now." She was out the door of the control room before he could stop her.

Rush's radio crackled to life. "RUSH!"

Brody winced as Telford's voice shrieked over the device. "I take it he's not an AC/DC fan."

"Rush, what the hell is going on? How are we supposed to work with this noise?" Telford blustered.

A slow calculating smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he pressed the com button. "Colonel, I assure you we are working to resolve the problem. Chalk it up to some minor technical difficulties."

"Do something!"

Rush clicked off the radio and smirked at Brody. He shouldn't be surprised that Belle wanted to bedevil the invasive science team the IOA had sent. "Mr. Brody, turn it up."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle's fun lasted about an hour…including spying on the interlopers through a Kino as their frustrations reached epic proportions and saving the footage for Eli to enjoy if…WHEN…he got his body back. She'd finally taken pity on Rush, who she knew didn't like the music, and decrypted her commands to confine her music files to the control room. However, the look on Telford's red face still brought a smile to her lips as she worked with Rush to repair the ship.

Brody and Riley had volunteered to don the spacesuits in order to repair some broken coolant pipes in a quarantined section of the ship, and her eyes rarely moved from the console as she monitored their progress. "Pressure's still fluctuating, Nicholas," she murmured as she rubbed at the small of her back and shifted for a more comfortable position.

The suits thankfully were directly linked into the com link and they were able to maintain contact without the need for their radios. "That's it for me," Brody said, closing the open valve of his welding torch and backing out of the corridor they were working in.

She watched as Riley did the same as he finished up and joined Brody, sealing the door behind him. Belle tensed visibly as Telford stormed into the room, his two scientists on his heels.

"You're stalling," Telford accused angrily.

Rush gritted his teeth in order to maintain a neutral tone as he turned to look at the colonel. "I'm doing things the way they need to be done."

"We've isolated power to forty percent of the operational weapons system, and it should be good enough to get us a read on our power reduction capability," Dr. Williams said, trying to reassure Rush.

Rush shook his head as Telford leaned in closer to him at the console, doing his best to intimidate the shorter man. "The next time we drop out of FTL…" Telford snarled.

Rush however, refused to back down, arguing. "No, look, this ship is old and damaged. The computers aren't registering half the things they're supposed to. I want manual confirmation before activating _any_ system that comprehensive."

"Over eighty percent of this ship is inaccessible without spacesuits right now. With only two suits, doing it your way could take months," Telford sneered.

"If that's what it takes." Rush said, his voice deathly quiet, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"Doctor Rush, we're ready here," Riley said over the link, breaking into Telford's diatribe.

"Belle, send the power through," he ordered, focusing on his screen as she entered the commands and data began to scroll on the console. He cursed as an alarm sounded. "Shut it down! We've got a leak."

"Riley, what do you see? The Kino is out in the bloody corridor with you and Brody and my visuals are cut off," Belle said worriedly.

"Looks like a coolant leak," the sergeant said as he moved to open the door between himself and the spraying pipe.

"Belle, shut it down!" Rush commanded.

"I'm trying!"

"Shut it down!" Telford said, hovering between the two consoles helplessly.

"We're trying, Colonel. It's not working," Rush said, swiftly entering commands into the console.

"The problem is contained. It's restricted to that corridor," Dr. Williams retorted.

"That's not the point," Rush said, casting a look of disgust at the scientist.

Telford raked a hand through his short cropped black hair and huffed an irritated sigh. "How big an explosion are we talking about?"

"No!" Belle cried, watching the Kino relay, as she sent it into the corridor after her friend. "Riley, don't go in there! Let us try to seal it off from here."

"We're in FTL. If it punctures the hull, disrupts the shield at all, even for a microsecond, then the entire ship could be in jeopardy," he hissed at Telford. He abandoned his console to go to Belle's where he could watch the relay with her. "Sergeant Riley, this is inadvisable. Get out of there…now!"

Riley ignored their advice and relit his torch, determined to seal off the leak. The ship rocked violently beneath their feet as a spark hit the spray of coolant and the gas ignited, sending Riley flying across the corridor and crashing into the opposite wall.

Belle covered her mouth with her hand, her lips parted in a silent scream before she grabbed her radio and called for TJ and Scott, sending them off to see about the fallen man.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush held Belle tightly against his chest, his fingers stroking the back of her neck as they waited outside the infirmary for news. Her silent tears soaked the front of his shirt, but her heartbreaking sobs had quieted quite a while ago. Brody sat on the floor, leaning back against the bulkhead and chewed on his thumbnail. He felt responsible for not being able to stop the younger man from his foolhardy mission.

The door whooshed open and TJ emerged from the infirmary, her face grim and drawn with fatigue and worry. "It's, um, it's going to be touch and go," she said.

"Is he going to make it?" Belle asked, pulling away from Rush and glancing over TJ's shoulder into the room where she could see Riley lying still and lifeless on the gurney, an IV hooked to his arm and a swath of bandages wrapped carefully about his head.

"I don't know," the medic answered truthfully. "I'll let you know something as soon as I can run more tests. For now he's stable."

Belle nodded and let Rush lead her away from the infirmary as Brody went to sit beside Riley's bedside. She had to bite back more tears and fight to restore calm, thinking if Telford hadn't come aboard, her friend wouldn't be fighting for his life. One more reason for her to hate the colonel.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush glanced anxiously at Belle as she sat beside him in a secluded corner of the mess, idly swirling her spoon around in her metal bowl. "Try to eat, Belle," he said quietly, forcing himself to choke down his own food.

"I'm not hungry," she murmured, pushing the bowl away and staring down at her hands. Instead, she pulled a grape Jolly Rancher from her pocket and popped it into her mouth, toying with the thin cellophane wrapper. "That idiot is going to drain all our power and proceed with the test. He's already caused one accident," she said bitterly. "He's going to end up killing us all if he insists on this madness."

"It's not over yet," he snarked with a sly grin.

Belle tensed as Telford entered the mess and made his way over to their table, sitting opposite them without even a by-your-leave. "Colonel," Rush acknowledged as he lifted his spoon to his mouth.

"We're proceeding with the test next time we drop out of FTL," he announced without preamble.

"Colonel, Riley nearly died. Wasn't that enough to show you—" Belle hissed.

"You and Rush are the ones who put him in jeopardy," Telford cut her off.

"We were trying to make sure you didn't kill us all!" she countered.

"I'm not going to, Miss French. I'm going to get you all home."

Rush could feel her muscles tightening as her thigh pressed against his and he knew it wouldn't take much more to set her off into actions they'd all regret. "Enough," he said, casting her a warning look before leveling Telford with a pointed glare. "I accept responsibility for what happened, but _you_ forced the situation, and activating the weapons system the way you're proposing is completely reckless.

"Come on, Rush. These people are in danger just being here, evidenced by what just happened. The ship is falling apart. They're the wrong people for this. We need to get them home," Telford said, trying to reason with the scientist.

"Yeah, well, there's a right way of doing that."

"We _are_ doing it the right way."

"That's a matter of opinion," Belle mumbled under her breath as her cerulean eyes narrowed on the man.

"Look, I know that we've had our differences in the past ..." the colonel said, ignoring Belle's cattiness.

"Yeah. You wanted me off the expedition team. I remember," Rush murmured bitterly, his brogue thickening as his frustration grew.

"It was my duty to express concern for how everyone else felt about you."

"It was your duty to be a controlling prick," Belle said, her voice dripping with venom.

"So are you suggesting that my judgment is now somehow clouded? Or is it that I'm just plain lying?" Rush interjected before the colonel could reprimand Belle. He didn't need her locked up with Greer for the duration of Telford's command.

Telford huffed a short mirthless laugh, leaning his elbows on the table. "Admit it, Rush. After everything that's happened, you're afraid they're not going to let you come back."

Belle was on her feet in a second, Rush bounding up beside her to pull her away from the table before she could let loose of her acerbic tongue. He pulled her from the room, his arm around her waist to make sure she didn't turn to expound on what a worthless cretin Telford had shown himself to be.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush didn't release her until they gained the observation deck. She stumbled slightly as the ship dropped out of FTL. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he snarled, backing her into the railing before the window. "You have got to stop openly baiting Telford, Belle."

"How can I not when he's _openly_ trying to kill us all?!" she yelled back at him. "He's trying to derail all the good we've done since we came aboard and then…" she paused, her eyes flashing blue fire. "…then he's done nothing but belittle you and insult you since he took command. The man has no clue as to what is going on up here and has no right to make you look like a subversive out for yourself!"

Rush gripped her upper arm and pulled her into him. "And I won't have that man lock you away from me because you can't keep your fucking mouth shut! I know you can't stand the man, but we are going to have to tread carefully without the theatrics!"

Belle wrapped her free arm around his neck and pulled his head down, her lips crashing into his, diverting his passion from anger into something much more pleasant. He was afraid…afraid to have her removed from his side. She was quite experienced with what fear could do to a man and she drew on that knowledge to soothe him. Her hormones had been driving her all day. It was time to use her head.

He didn't respond at first, flummoxed by her abrupt change, but as her hot little tongue pushed into his mouth, the tension eased from his body as it stirred to life beneath her touch. She melted into him, and he released her arm to wrap his arms about her waist and press her flush against his body, caging her between him and the railing at her back. Her hands tightened in his hair as he took command of the kiss, the stinging in his scalp only adding to his pleasure and he had to force himself to reign in his passion.

"I'm not going anywhere, Nicholas," she purred against the corner of his mouth as they came up for air. She pressed her brow to his and stroked her fingertips over his stubbled jaw. "I promise."

"You're the only person I can trust, Belle. Everyone else on this ship believes me to be some self-serving bastard," he admitted ruefully. "I couldn't stand to see him lock you up as he did Greer."

Belle tucked her head beneath his chin and locked her arms around his waist. "He won't. I'll try not to lose my temper again, but what are we going to do about him? We need to get Young back up here where he belongs."

"Indeed." He rested his chin atop her crown as Destiny's guns began firing. He was silent as he watched the guns dispel their charges, cringing at the thought of the power being wasted. Slowly, a smile curved up the corners of his mouth. "I think I have an idea."

X*X*X*X*X

"Wait! Are you serious?" Belle gasped, following Rush as he entered the gate room and took up his position behind the primary console. "You're actually going to take someone else into your confidence?"

He held up his thumb and forefinger a half an inch apart. "Maybe just a wee bit," he said, his nose crinkling as he smirked at her. "Trust me."

"I do," she insisted, taking her place at his side. "But does Brody?"

"He trusts that I won't let Telford kill us all," he said simply. "You look rather suspicious without your rucksack, love. Shouldn't you have fetched it?"

Belle smiled, warmth spreading through her chest at the endearment. "No, I think not. That thing is heavy and I'm not carting it around unnecessarily." The entire crew was gathering in the gate room, carrying the meager possessions they'd brought with them from Icarus. The marines marshalled them into positions away from the stargate so they could wait patiently for Destiny to begin its descent into the star.

Rush didn't answer as he eyed Telford. The colonel took his place at the secondary console with Brody and the two scientists, Williams and McCormack. "Just relax, Belle, and do _not_ let your emotions come to the fore."

Belle schooled her features into a mask of indifference and promised to make him pay for that little remark later.

"Diverting power flow to the stargate. We're ready to attempt dialing," Williams announced, pleased with the readings he was getting on his screen.

"Do it," Telford authorized, a smug smile on his face as he turned to watch the gate, leaving Dr. Williams to activate the controls. The gate lit up and began to spin as the first chevron locked into place.

Belle pressed a bit closer to Rush as the second chevron locked in place, No matter his reassurances that everything would be fine, she still found herself trembling in anticipation of something going wrong. She dug a Jolly Rancher out of her pocket, unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth as she concentrated on the readings scrolling on the console, focusing her attention away from her fear.

Everyone stood waiting in nervous trepidation as the next chevron locked in place. As the fourth moved into position and locked with a clang, the ship shuddered, sparks and white lines of electricity crackling about the whirling gate. Belle turned her anxious gaze on Rush, but he was busily watching Telford and the two scientists.

Scott began yelling at the crew for them to step back and keep their distance from the sparking gate. "Step back! Everyone back up!"

Telford walked back to the console Dr. Williams was manning as Brody announced, "You're going to overload the capacitors. The limitations are not holding."

Williams rapidly entered several commands. "I'm bringing power flow down now."

Despite the electricity arcing around the gate, it stopped and locked in the fifth chevron before spinning on. The crew shifted nervously, trying to move further back from the sparking gate.

Rush leaned heavily on the primary console and glared at Telford. "This system wasn't meant to handle this much power, Colonel," he said firmly, daring the man to contradict him.

The metal floor of the gate room shook violently beneath their feet. "The shields are fluctuating. They're not going to hold," Belle said, trying to divert more power to the shields. "I'm locked out, Rush! Do something. Make them stop," she cried, her panic very real.

Telford held up his hands. "Everyone, stay calm! We've got this under control."

Dr. Williams gave Telford a pointed look. "Colonel, we need to abort."

Telford clenched his jaw as he stared at the gate in frustration. "Shut it down!" he ordered angrily.

Williams typed in the commands to shut down the program, glancing up worriedly when the gate continued to spin, approaching the sixth chevron. "It's not working!"

Telford stormed over to his side and stared at him incredulously. "I thought you said you could stop it at any time during the sequence!"

"It should have worked, but it won't shut down! There's nothing I can do to stop it!" the scientist said frantically, fear causing sweat to bead at his temples and upper lip.

Rush's gaze was unwavering as Telford turned to glare at him, the colonel certain that Rush could have done something to save the experiment. He closed his eyes briefly, his mind whirring as he thought of what action he should take. With a nod to the two scientists that had accompanied him to Destiny, he turned on his heel and left the gate room, McCormack and Williams falling hurriedly into step behind him.

Scott ran to the doorway. "Where the hell are you going, Colonel?"

Rush fought to keep the smirk off his face as he nodded almost imperceptively at Brody. Brody picked up a radio from the console and left the room, following after Telford and the scientists.

Scott whirled around to face Rush. "Do something!"

Rush calmly lifted his radio from his belt and waited, his free hand reaching out for Belle's in an effort to reassure her. She was pale and her eyes were dark with a fear she was trying very hard not to show.

It was a tense minute or so before Brody's voice filtered over the radio. "They're gone," he confirmed.

"Thank you," Rush said, clipping the radio back to his belt. Belle exhaled noisily in relief. If Telford and his flunkies were gone, that could only mean Colonel Young, Eli and Chloe had returned to their bodies. He pressed a button on the console and the gate went cold, slowing to a stop, the electricity dissipating as silence reigned in the room.

The lights came back on in the room now that the gate was no longer sucking energy from their power reserves as Rush emerged from behind his console to address the crew. "If I can have everyone's attention please." He waited for the crew to press in closer so he didn't have to shout. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that, uh, we will _not_ be going home. Not yet, anyway, but you can all relax and return to your quarters. The ship will not be exploding…" he said with a small smile. "…at least not today."

Belle snorted. Rush was relishing the attention and all she could do was shake her head.

"Normal power levels will be restored soon, right?" Scott asked, needing confirmation.

Rush nodded. "Yes." He looked around at the crowd and offered up a quirky smile. "Thank you."

The crew murmured warily amongst themselves as they began to break up and leave the gate room. Camille, TJ and Greer…who had been released when Telford thought his experiment would be a success…crowded around Rush before he could make an exit. Camille was seething, her anger palpable in the cavernous room.

"You staged the whole thing," she practically snarled.

"So all of this was just to get rid of Telford?" TJ asked, crossing her arms over her chest and shooting a suspicious glance in Belle's direction though her words were for Rush. Belle met her gaze steadily and shrugged apologetically. "And of course you weren't alone."

"Had to be done," Rush said quietly, nonplussed.

Greer arched one dark brow. "So you're saying that the ship is _not_ gonna explode?"

"Oh no, we would most definitely all be dead had I not put certain limits in place. I also arranged for the alarms and warnings to go off regardless - a bit of theatre. Always nice," Rush said, his mouth turning up in a half moon grin that Belle was hard pressed not to chuckle at. He was met with several furious glares. "Their plan was never going to work," he insisted.

"You could've warned us. You scared the _crap_ out of everybody," Scott said acidly.

Belle abandoned the console and moved to his side, taking the hand he held out to her. "Well, I didn't know who was on my side, did I? Or rather, who _else_ was on my side," Rush said, meeting her gaze, his sable eyes sparkling with warmth. Without another word, he and Belle left the gate room hand in hand, leaving the others staring after them speechless.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle dropped her spoon into her empty bowl and smiled at Rush. "Well I can't say that was fun," she said, knowing he would know that she was referring to the gate room incident and not their unappetizing dinner.

"Oh, I don't know, my Belle. I had fun making Telford look like a fool," he said, his nose crinkling as he grinned at her. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

She glanced around the deserted mess hall and then leaned into him, brushing her lips to his. "So who was worried?"

He snorted.

"I wasn't worried…I was bloody well terrified!" she said, smacking her hand lightly against his chest. "You didn't say anything about the sparking electricity around the gate. I was afraid it was going to catch fire."

Rush reeled her in for another kiss, this one deeper and fraught with a wealth of emotion. When they parted, he smoothed a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail, behind her ear, his eyes meeting hers in a meaningful look she'd rarely seen when he wasn't speaking about his work. "I would never deliberately put you in danger, _mo ghrá."_

"Oh damn," came a familiar voice from the doorway. "Sorry!"

Belle giggled. "No, Eli, come and join us!" she called, waving him over.

A blush rode high in his cheeks as he moved to sit opposite them. "So," the boy began, looking anywhere else to avoid looking at Rush. He really was getting tired of walking in on the two of them. "How come you guys didn't stick around for Colonel Young's speech?"

"And listen to him expound about how we all need to work hard and stick together?" Rush asked, rolling his eyes as he lifted his cup. "Cheers."

"Don't worry. I have a Kino in there recording it for posterity. I'm going to add it to the documentary so I'll watch it later while I'm editing," he said. "But I was wondering about something and Greer told me you were the one I should ask, Belle."

"Sure," she said with a bright smile, happy to have Eli back with them.

"What am I wearing?"

Rush pulled her up from the table before she could answer. "Why don't we save that for tomorrow, shall we? Belle will fill you in first thing in the morning. It's been a long day."

"I promise, Eli," she called over her shoulder. "Nicholas!" she scolded when he'd pulled her out into the corridor. "That was rude!"

"No, it wasn't. Actually it was quite reasonable coming from me," he snarked playfully. "If I had let you tell him where you'd gotten that jumpsuit, the two of you would have run off to C deck and spent the rest of the evening exploring those crates."

"And you have other plans, I take it?" she asked, biting down on her lower lip as she peeked up at him from beneath her lashes.

His eyes darkened as they turned down the corridor that led to their quarters. "What do you think?"

**A/N: Ooooh, can you tell I just cannot stand Telford or Camille? Big surprise, huh?**

"_**Críost trócaireach, mo chroí!" **_ **is Irish Gaelic for "Merciful, Christ, my heart!" just in case you were wondering. Also, my beta and I got into this long drawn out discussion as to what would happen with no supply line and no way for all those women on board to have access to feminine products…or FFS Midol? Come on, people! Can you seriously say you haven't thought the same thing? So this is my way of filling in the blanks for her (o: I'm also filling Valerie's request (who is reading this on AO3) for shower smut. Hope you enjoyed it, my darling 3.**

**If anyone is interested, you can now follow me on tumblr at CharlotteAshmore13. There are some new 'Why Did You Stay' ficlets on my masterlist. If you leave me an ask on any of my stories, i will be glad to fulfill the prompt for you (o:**

**Great big shout out for my wonderful reviewers this week: Wondermorena, cynicsquest (chapters 5 & 6), PartyintheTARDIS12, Twyla Mercedes, JosephineM (chapters 1-6), and Guest (chapter 3), **


	8. Time

Chapter Eight: Time

Belle stepped through the gate, an exuberant smile on her rosebud mouth and a grumbling Rush at her side, his hand clamped firmly on her upper arm. Her smile faltered as the heat and humidity washed over her. "Wow! It feels as if I just stepped into the shower," she exclaimed as the rising temperature made the camouflaged flak jacket feel entirely too heavy on her petite frame.

Rush snorted as he moved down the ramp and deposited the aluminum case full of their testing equipment on the loam littered ground. "You saw the readings for yourself, Belle. You knew it was going to be hot."

She set her own pack next to the two he'd deposited on the ground, her eyes searching through the dense jungle surrounding them. She shucked off the much too heavy coat and laid it over her pack, daring him to open his mouth to argue with her. He'd talked her into foregoing her own jeans and cardigan in favor of the heavier military uniform and boots, more protection against the elements, he'd said. He hadn't, however, been able to talk her out of the navy blue halter top that left much of her back exposed. It was modest compared to something Red would have worn, she thought with a smirk, the lightweight material covering her almost completely in the front and wrapping around to tie in a knot at her lower back.

Belle swiveled to face Rush, about to ponder a question to him, only to find his gaze riveted on her exposed flesh, his eyes dark and his lips slightly parted. She reached over and snapped it closed with a knowing smirk. "Behave, Nicholas," she chided, "we've work to do."

Rush abruptly cleared his throat, blinking back to his senses and casting a warning glare at Eli and Greer who were ogling her smooth back with appreciation before whispering dolefully. "That scrap of material is going to get lost in the laundry."

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, biting her lip to hold back a wicked smile.

"You heard me," he snarled, bending to his pack to retrieve his testing equipment.

She chuckled softly, relishing his jealousy. It was unwarranted as she'd given him no reason to be jealous. Perhaps their forced abstinence was more difficult for him to bear than she'd previously expected. Two more days and…well…she wasn't going to dwell on it. There were plant samples to be taken and tested, food sources to be explored, and water to be found- the entire reason for their foray down to the planet. She'd save her more delightful musings for when they returned to the ship, and perhaps find a way to alleviate some of her darling doctor's discomfort.

Lt Scott was the last through the gate, bringing up the rear. Colonel Young had remained behind on Destiny, leaving Scott to see to the mission. "Secure the perimeter," he commanded, eyeing his fellow soldiers and sending them off to take up a defensive stance a dozen or so meters from the gate.

Chloe grabbed Belle's hand, a bright smile on her face. "Want to explore with me, Belle? I can't wait to see if there are any fruits we might be able to bring back with us."

"Yes," Belle replied. "The 'sludge' is getting to be a bit much."

"Don't wander too far afield," Rush cautioned gruffly, not at all pleased by the suggestion of her going off without him.

"Don't worry, Nicholas. I have my radio and we're well protected," she said, gesturing towards Greer, Spencer, and the remaining military officers. "Just call for me if I'm needed."

Chloe and Eli didn't give him a chance to respond, dragging his little assistant off through the dense overgrowth. He glowered at the pair and shook his head. He realized he couldn't have her solely to himself at all times, but he didn't bloody well have to like it. He gathered his testing supplies and set off to investigate the plant life in the immediate vicinity, keeping an eye out for anything that would make a possible tea blend as Belle had requested.

Vanessa James, second lieutenant, brought over a metal crate and set it in the center of a small clearing where Belle, Chloe and Eli found themselves, several questionable trees towering above them, their branches heavy with what looked to be some type of fruit. Vanessa left them to their task, moving off to help Dr. Franklin with gathering plant samples for the new hydroponics lab he wanted to start on board Destiny with the hopes of growing their own fruits and vegetables.

The branches were thankfully low enough for Belle to easily reach as she began picking the fruit. She frowned dubiously at the dense flower-like specimen in her hand; it resembled an artichoke. She could only hope it didn't also share the same texture and taste, as she'd never found that particular food to be a pleasant experience for her.

Eli fiddled with the Kino remote and Chloe cast him a disapproving look over her shoulder. It seemed they couldn't take two steps without him trying to record every little thing for some part of his documentary, but she couldn't find it in her heart to scold him. Everyone needed a hobby of some sort to keep themselves from going mad with the day to day monotony of life on board the Ancient ship.

"So," Eli mused cheerily, a grin on his cherubic face. "Your first alien planet! Everything you expected? More? Less?"

"Eli, we saw what it was going to be like on the Kino," Belle chuckled as she tossed another piece of fruit into the crate.

"Eh, true," he conceded with a shrug.

Chloe stood on her toes to reach one of the higher branches. "Although it _is_ nice to get off the ship, get some fresh air…even if it _is_ a bit sticky." She shrugged out of her cardigan and tied the sleeves about her waist, leaving her arms bare due to the tank top she wore. Relief from the stifling heat immediately made her breathe easier.

"So you're not nervous at all?" he asked, lowering his tone to a dramatic whisper. "Not afraid some giant alien insect is going to come out and bite you?"

Belle cast him an icy glare as she turned to find the Kino focused on her bare back. "Eli, if Rush happens to see you ogling my back through that damned Kino…well, I'll let you use your imagination."

"Sorry. Would you believe I was checking for insect bites?"

Both girls dissolved into laughter at his sheepish grin. "NO!" they answered in unison. They moved off to another section of the clearing when their crate was full and began inspecting another of the trees, this one with fruits resembling oranges. Belle felt optimistic towards these trees. They could only benefit from fruit that would yield some vitamin C. Her mouth was practically watering with the thought of drinking a tall glass of orange juice. Chloe sent Eli off after another crate, happy to have the ever-present Kino focus elsewhere for a moment.

X*X*X*X*X

Eli sat down on a tree stump and sighed tiredly, looking across to Corporal Marsden who stood nearby, his rifle at the ready and a stony expression on his face. "What? I need a break!" the boy said defensively as he took a drink from his canteen. "It's _so_ hot!" He shot another glance at Marsden, who still regarded him accusingly. "What? Don't judge me. All you're doing is standing there!"

"Making sure nothing crawls up your ass," the corporal said quietly.

"And I appreciate that," Eli retorted, regaining his feet and moving off to seek better company. He pulled the Kino remote from his back pocket and zoomed it in on Belle and Chloe again as they chatted amiably where he'd left them.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle knelt down beside Rush as TJ and Volker began laying out several of their finds on a tarp for the scientists to test for toxicity. Along with the fruits, there were several root vegetables, including some that looked similar to onions and potatoes. She nearly salivated at the thought of smothered potatoes for dinner. Franklin added various nuts and berries that he'd found as well.

Chloe frowned. "How are we supposed to know what's safe to eat?"

"We can't know for sure. All we can do is test to make sure no known toxins are evident and hope for the best," TJ said nervously as she took a knife from her vest and cut into what looked like a pear.

Eli picked up a small yellow fruit, eyeing it suspiciously as he screwed up his courage to bite into it. "What's that saying? 'A starving man'…" He popped it into his mouth and chewed for a moment before spitting it out and wiping his sleeve over his tongue to remove the bitter taste.

Belle laughed. "Hunger is the best seasoning, though apparently not agreeable with your palate."

Scott sat back on his haunches and laughed. "Maybe it wasn't ripe."

Eli glared at him. "You try it!" he said, tossing it towards the lieutenant who caught it instinctively in his hand before returning it to the tarp.

"Uh, no thanks," Scott chortled with a shake of his head.

Eli reached for another item on the tarp, but Rush smacked his hand away. "You've just exposed yourself now."

Eli's face screwed up with disappointment. "C'mon, seriously?"

"Yes, Eli. Here give it to me," Belle instructed, reaching into the pack at her side and coming out with a piece of equipment. It looked similar to the Kino remote, but this one had a wand attached to it with a sharp probe at the end.

"What's that?" Rush asked curiously, not familiar with the device.

Belle took the wand in her hand and inserted it into the fruit, smiling smugly at Rush. The screen lit up, data about the object in her hand scrolling swiftly. "This," she said, indicating the device, "will tell us if it's safe. Have a look."

Rush took the small device, his brow furrowing as he read the Ancient text. "Composition, levels of toxicity, texture, taste, vitamin and nutrient levels…" His head whipped around to stare at his assistant. "Where did you find this? It will make our job of finding viable food sources so much simpler."

"Oh yes," TJ agreed. "It certainly beats your latest testing philosophy of feed it to the colonel and if he doesn't keel over then it's safe," she chuckled softly.

"In one of the Ancient crates Eli and Chloe and I have been going through. I thought I would bring one along with us to see if it would work," she replied, "It was packed away with some of the other testing equipment. It was worth a shot."

"And why am I the last to know of this?" Rush asked dryly as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Because you never listen to me, Nicholas. I did try to show you when I found it, but you were entering data into the database and were rather rudely ignoring me."

"I was not! I—"

Brody interrupted, his face grave as he rushed over to them. "TJ, uh, Volker just puked."

TJ and Scott rose to their feet and hurriedly left the group, following Brody over to where Volker was sitting on a tree stump nearby on the other side of the ramp leading to the gate. TJ took in his pale, waxen complexion and the cold sweat beading on his clammy brow and reached for her kit. "Have you eaten anything here?" she asked worriedly.

Volker shook his head as she flashed her penlight into his eyes to check the size of his pupils. She cast a disapproving look at Eli and he backed the Kino up with a mumbled apology. "Are you staying hydrated?" she asked as she continued to take his vitals.

He nodded, his tongue thick, making it difficult to answer.

"Okay, what about any numbness or…how's your vision?" she asked, unsure if he had been feeling ill before they'd disembarked for the planet surface.

"Oh, it's…my head's pounding and my neck's a little…" he murmured listlessly. Without any warning, he slumped forward and tumbled off the stump. TJ and Scott managed to break the worst of his fall, their hands gripping his arms as they laid him gently on the ground.

Scott looked up at Eli. "We should get him back to the ship. Eli, dial the gate," he commanded. Eli scurried away with the Kino remote, already beginning the sequence to activate the star gate.

Without warning, Chloe swayed unsteadily on her feet and collapsed at Belle's feet. Before she could reach for her, Rush grabbed her about the waist and backed away from both Chloe and Volker, leaving TJ and Dr. Park to see to them.

"Nicholas!" she cried, struggling against his restraining arm. "Let me go. I need—"

His stern voice cut her off. "You need to stay away from her. You don't know what's wrong with her. What if it's contagious?"

Belle stopped struggling and turned to glare at him. "And if it is, if she contracted it here on the planet, then we've all likely been exposed. Now let me go to her," she said the last in a gentle tone. He nodded sullenly, realizing she was right. With some reluctance, he sighed and retracted his arms, letting her go to the aid of her friend.

Chloe was already coming to when Belle dropped to her knees at her side. "What happened?" the tall brunette asked, rubbing a hand over her sweat-soaked brow.

TJ knelt on Chloe's other side and took her pulse. "You collapsed on us. How are you feeling now?"

Belle helped TJ support the weakened girl as they pulled her into a sitting position. She still seemed to be out of sorts, though her return to consciousness was encouraging. Volker was still out cold.

"I don't know," Chloe said, her voice weak. "I just started feeling dizzy. It came on pretty fast."

TJ put the back of her hand to Chloe's forehead and frowned. "It feels like you're running a temperature."

"You're sure it's not just the heat, TJ?" Belle asked, offering Chloe a drink from the girl's canteen.

"I don't think so," the blonde lieutenant murmured, fixing Belle with a pointed look, worry evident in her iolite gaze. "Is your neck bothering you?"

Chloe nodded as she pulled the canteen away from her lips. "Yeah, it just started. It's stiff at the back mostly."

Scott backed away, concerned for his girlfriend and tried to get everyone's attention. "Ok, guys, listen up. Get your stuff. We're buggin' out."

TJ left Chloe with Belle and hurried over to join the lieutenant. "Wait, wait, wait! We can't leave. If it's something that they got here, it could be contagious."

Scott frowned, wanting nothing more than to get everyone safely back on board Destiny where TJ could treat the sick in a more sterile environment. "So what are we supposed to do?"

TJ glanced down at her watch. "We have thirty-six hours before the Destiny leaves. For the sake of everyone on board, I say we wait. At least for a little while…just to see how this plays out."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle stared at the gate as the puddle rippled, leaning back against the tree towering above her and protecting her pale skin from the UV rays overhead. Chloe rested nearby with her head in Scott's lap, her breathing labored as she slept. She could vaguely hear TJ speaking with the colonel on her radio, her back to the Kino that hovered nearby. She was going to have to have a talk with Eli about that apparently.

"I don't know, Colonel. It could be anything, really…a virus, a bacteria. There's no way to know if it's airborne," the medic said.

Young's voice came back over the open channel, the transmission crackling with static. "You've only been there three hours."

"I know," TJ said wearily as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "If it's something they picked up locally, then the progression is unfolding quickly. Sir, until we know more, I'm recommending that we don't return to the Destiny with anything that might be contagious. Let us know if anyone on board is exhibiting similar symptoms. At least that way we'll know for sure if it has nothing to do with this planet."

"Will do," the colonel said. "Check in every hour, regardless."

"Copy that," TJ said, putting her radio away as Young severed the connection.

Rush, crouched down with his back against the tree beside Belle, eyeing TJ suspiciously as she sat down next to Belle and drank deeply from her canteen.

"So, we're stuck here for a while, I take it?" Belle asked, toying absently with the wrapper of a Jolly Rancher for want of something to keep her hands busy.

Rush snorted. "You must have _some_ suspicions as to what's causing this. I've seen you giving them shots."

"I started them both on high doses of antibiotics. I hate to waste it, but given the symptoms of headache, fever and neck pain, it's better to be safe than sorry," the medic said, rifling through her kit to take stock of her supplies. "Belle, how do you feel?"

"Right as rain, TJ. Don't worry about me," she said, discarding the wrapper and raising her fingers to the tea cup charm hanging on the thin gold chain about her neck.

Rush knew Belle was more concerned than she was letting on due to the level of fidgeting she was doing, but focused his questions on the medic. "Ok, so what is it? Bacterial meningitis?"

"There's no way to tell without a way to test for it, but if it turns out that's what it is, and I haven't done anything, they could die quickly."

"You don't know," he hissed acidly. "You're using up our antibiotics on a hunch."

"Yes, Dr. Rush," TJ said, her eyes flashing hotly as she tried to maintain her professionalism. "That was my judgment call."

"That's just great!" Rush shot to his feet and glowered at the blonde, realizing the futility of continuing the conversation, and walked away into the overgrown jungle surrounding them.

Belle reached out and laid her hand atop TJ's where it rested on her knee. "Don't let him get to you, Tamara. He doesn't like to feel helpless," she said, rising from the jungle floor and brushing leaves from her pants. "I'll go talk to him."

She found him a short distance away, his arms folded stubbornly across his chest and staring into the dense growth. She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his nape, her nails scratching pleasantly against his stomach. "TJ's only doing what she thinks is best."

"I know, but not knowing for sure, she's wasting what little precious supplies we have," he said quietly, the muscles tensing in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. When she didn't argue, he relaxed and pulled her around so he could loop an arm around her shoulders. "I'm wishing I'd left you on Destiny."

"I'm sure you are, but you kept your promise," she said, referring to the vow he'd made to let her go offworld on the first viable planet they came to. "At least we're here together," she murmured, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Dr. Rush!"

Rush turned at the sound of his name, releasing Belle as Greer came through the underbrush with Eli and Scott following closely at his heels.

"Dr. Rush, I found something I think you need to see, sir," Greer said, motioning them to follow.

Eli fiddled with his Kino remote and swatted at an insect that buzzed near his ear. "I thought you said it wasn't far," he complained.

"It's not," Greer replied, arching a brow in the boy's direction.

Eli looked back to find Scott rubbing at the back of his neck. "Hey, you doing ok?"

Greer called for them as he rushed ahead, preventing Scott from replying. "Over here."

"Ewww," Eli groaned. "What is that smell?!"

"It's sulphur," Rush said, waving Belle to stay back as he approached Greer's discovery.

Belle bristled at his command, but chalked it up to him being overprotective and held her tongue. He pulled a handkerchief from the back pocket of his jeans and covered his nose and mouth as he approached what looked to be a giant ant hill about four feet in height, steam rising from it to pollute the air.

"Wow!" Eli said, holding his nose. "I'd hate to see the ants that made those." He glanced over his shoulder to check on his Kino.

Rush kept his face covered as he leaned over the mound to take a look, grimacing and coughing as he hurriedly pulled back. Greer hovered at his back, keeping his distance even though he was prepared to take action should anything leap out of the mound. "You think this is what's making people sick?"

Rush leaned over the mound again, this time shining his flashlight into the hole. "I don't know."

Greer backed away another foot as the smell wafted in his direction. "They make chemical weapons from this stuff."

Rush finally turned and made his way back to Belle where he could breathe a little easier. "Yeah, I know, but we don't know the exact compound, the concentration, and a myriad of other factors."

"There's more over there," Greer said, pointing with the barrel of his rifle.

He shook his head. "No, no. it's all right, I believe you."

Greer's brow furrowed as he looked between Rush and Belle. "Look, I'm just saying I know she doesn't want to make anybody else on the ship sick, but what if it's staying here that's gonna kill us?"

"We need to give it a few more hours at least, Ronald," Belle said, brushing a tendril of hair off her brow where it had escaped the bun at her crown.

Rush offered her his hand, which she took, letting him lead her back to the gate. He might not agree with her, but there was little any of them could do at the moment.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle burrowed further under the tarp, settling herself close to Rush as he looped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. Night had fallen and the rain pelting down on them made her shiver with cold. She'd put her jacket back on at his insistence, but it didn't seem to be helping much. There was something that niggled at the back of her mind, some inner warning system trying to alert her to danger. Eli sat on her other side, as close as he could without actually touching her in an effort to keep warm. Rush wasn't very happy about it, if his glowering countenance was any indication, but she was grateful for the boy's added body heat.

Scott had his team patrolling in closer proximity to the gate, trying to keep everyone together as the rain made visibility limited. Eli pulled the tarp forward, ducking back so the rain wouldn't splash into his face. "Well, this couldn't get much worse," he complained.

Rush closed his eyes, praying for patience. "I'm afraid that's a failure of imagination," he said dryly.

Belle laid her head on his shoulder, her lips brushing against the shell of his ear. "Don't be mean to Eli, Nicholas," she purred softly, reveling in the shiver that tripped through his body, knowing it had little to do with the weather. "Need I remind you of our earlier discussion of working together?" she asked, pressing her lips to his chilled flesh just beneath his ear as her arm snaked around his waist.

Rush turned his dark sable gaze on her, a smirk curling his lips. "If I recall correctly, didn't that discussion have something to do with not being able to call you Miss French since I'd already had my tongue in your mouth?" he asked, his voice barely carrying over the sound of the rain. His breath fanned hotly against her lips as he rested his brow to hers and it was her turn to shiver. "Ah, I see you remember as well."

"Top five desert island movies," Eli said, his voice loud as he stared off into the distance, trying to pretend that he was oblivious to the tender moment between the couple beside him.

Rush glared at him over the top of Belle's head.

"What?! It'll help pass the time!" the boy said defensively.

Rush shook his head, despairing that his protégé would never take _anything_ seriously.

"OK, _I'll_ go first. 'Hackers'. Obvious, I know. 'The Matrix'," Eli said, chuckling softly. 'Old School' - you've gotta have something to make you laugh, right?" His nose crinkled as he screwed up his face in concentration. "If trilogies count as one, then all three original 'Star Wars', but if only one, then-then 'Empire'. Uh, four…Man, this is hard! I could pick so many! Maybe it should be top ten."

Belle shifted in Rush's embrace so she could turn to look at her friend. "What is this 'Star Wars' you keep going on about? It's not the first time I've heard you mention it. Is it a game or something?" she asked, tilting her head to the side to study him curiously.

Eli's eyes rounded to the size of dinner plates and Rush couldn't stop the smirk that curled up at the corner of his mouth. "Wh-? How? Seriously?" he spluttered. "How can you not know what 'Star Wars' is? It's only like the greatest series of movies of the twentieth century! You had to have been living under a rock all your life not to have heard of 'Star Wars'."

Belle frowned. She had seen movies with her friends in Storybrooke, mostly ones that Red and Emma had termed 'chick flicks', but she didn't care for the moving images on the screen that had been so strange to her when she'd been released from Regina's basement dungeon. Gold had tried to get her to watch several movies with him on the flat screen in his living room, but spending time with him, curled up against his side had usually led to more pleasurable activities. And, let's face it, she would much rather read a book than watch it acted out for her on the screen. There was inner thought and emotion of the characters that was sadly lacking when it was portrayed by the actors.

"Face it, Eli, if Belle was forced to choose between TV and books, books would win every time," Rush said quietly as he squeezed her hip appreciatively. He'd always found her intellect fascinating. She wouldn't report to work on Monday morning spouting nonsense about some drivel she'd seen on the telly over the weekend. Not his Belle. She'd come to work, bring him a venti black coffee and regale him with thoughts on the books she'd read.

"But it's 'Star Wars', Rush! How could she not have seen it?!"

"TJ!" Scott called, making his way over to the medic.

Rush slipped away from Belle as she listened to Eli expound on the trilogy, pulling the tarp over her head to keep her dry before he too stepped to TJ's side.

"James is not doing well," he said, nodding behind him.

TJ moved to grab her kit. "Where is she?

"How many does that make now?" Rush asked, following after the two as TJ went to check on Vanessa.

"Um…that's Chloe, Volker, Marsden, and Franklin," she said, digging through the kit for her penlight.

"Now James too," Scott said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

TJ noticed and pulled him to a stop. "Wait a minute. Let me look at your eyes," she insisted.

"No, I'm fine."

Before he could argue with her further, a chittering sound filtered through the brush on the other side of the gate. Brody screamed and Rush turned to stare in horror as some kind of creature with a long whipping tail burrowed itself into the engineer's chest. Still screaming, he stumbled backwards and fell to the muddy ground. The officers quickly picked up their weapons and sprang into action, firing into the jungle in all directions. With their visibility impaired, it wasn't likely they could even see what they were aiming at.

Rush raced back to where Eli had pulled Belle behind the log they'd been sitting on, grabbing for her and pulling her behind him. "Dial! Dial the gate!" he shouted at Eli to be heard over the din of gunfire and screaming.

Belle trembled as she hurried after him. She had little choice but to follow with the vise-like grip he had on her wrist. He pulled his radio from his belt and pressed the com button, screaming over the shrieks of terror that seemed to surround them. "Destiny, come in! If you can hear me, please respond!"

"Nicholas! What's happening?" she asked as he pulled her into a crouch beside the ramp and pressed her face into his shoulder, trying to shield her from the sight of their dying friends.

"Why aren't they answering?" Eli asked, crouching down on her other side to offer her further protection as his eyes scanned the melee for Chloe.

"I don't know!" Rush shouted back.

Eli stared up at the puddle shimmering in the gate and squinched his eyes to free his vision of rain. "Why is it doing that?" he asked, pointing to the static-like fritzing that disrupted the surface.

Greer joined them near the ramp, calling behind him to the huddled group. "We've gotta get out of here!" he yelled, firing off more rounds.

"We can't," Rush hissed frantically.

Spencer barely had one foot on the ramp before another creature sprang at him and burrowed itself in his chest. Greer turned, firing repeatedly with no clear aim as more of them encroached upon the clearing, seeking their next victim. One of his stray bullets clipped the Kino and it tumbled to the ground, useless for flight now, though it continued to film. Scott went down at the base of the ramp, one of the creatures latched onto his left shoulder. Greer abandoned Rush, Belle and Eli and hurried to Scott's side, grabbing the creature by its thrashing tail and pulling it off the lieutenant before it could burrow into his chest, hurling it away from the fallen man and firing off several shots into it.

Eli's head whipped around as Chloe's piercing shriek filled the night. She fell to her knees as one of the creatures burrowed into her chest with a loud squelching noise. With no recourse, she fell face forward onto the jungle floor, her eyes staring sightlessly ahead. The creature erupted from her back and slithered away back into the jungle chittering madly.

X*X*X*X*X

The Kino footage froze on the screen of Eli's laptop as he paused it, his eyes round as dinner plates as he stared in horror. Chloe sprang to her feet and darted out into the large circular common room just outside of Eli's personal quarters, emptying her stomach into the trash bin next to one of the metal benches set up there. TJ rushed after her to make sure she'd be all right.

Eli whirled around in his chair, his gaze swinging back and forth between the others crowded into his room. "Alright! What the hell is that?" he gasped incredulously.

Belle wrapped her arms about herself, fighting against the tremors that seemed to radiate from her spine as she sat still as a statue on the edge of Eli's bunk. Rush leaned against the wall next to her, for once silent and still in stunned silence.

When the ship had dropped out of FTL, Eli had sent the Kino through. Standard procedure before he, Rush, Scott and Greer had gone through the wormhole to survey the immediate vicinity surrounding the gate before allowing the rest of the team to follow. Eli had been flummoxed as to why another Kino would be there waiting for them, and had immediately come back to the ship to review the footage it might hold. He'd never thought to find this, however. "How could we have been there? I think I would have remembered!"

TJ helped Chloe back into the room, the girl resuming her place next to Belle who wrapped her arm around her friend. "How?" she asked, still clearly shaken.

"I don't know," Rush said.

"Well, considering the sickness that overwhelmed several of the team while on the planet, I think it would be a good idea to quarantine those that went down to the planet and anyone who came in contact with them. Just to be on the safe side," TJ announced, staring pointedly at Eli and Rush.

"No, wait a second," Scott scoffed. "You're worried because people got sick on this recording which never happened."

"Well, we don't know that," Rush replied in a quiet tone.

"What are you saying?" the colonel questioned from where he leaned against the opposite wall.

"Well that is clearly us, Colonel. The recording happened somehow," he said, lifting his hands to gesture at Eli's computer.

Eli's face scrunched up in concentration. "What do you think was wrong with the gate?" he asked, thinking aloud.

"Looks like the wormhole connection was unstable. It would have been extremely…" Belle said.

"…dangerous to even _attempt_ travel," Rush finished for her.

Eli arched a brow and blinked at the pair of scientists. "Would you two _please_ stop doing that? It weirds me out!"

TJ ducked her head so Eli couldn't see the grin playing at her lips before rising to go and coordinate the quarantine. Greer stood stiffly next to the colonel, his eyes locked on the frozen image of Chloe's dead body.

"So, do we keep watching?" Eli asked hesitantly, not thrilled at the prospect.

Belle shot to her feet and moved to the door. "I'm going to see if I can help TJ," she said over her shoulder, not wishing to see what happened to the rest of the team. She knew instinctively it wouldn't end well.

Rush caught up with her in the corridor. "Belle! Belle, wait!" he called, finally reaching out to stop her with a hand to her shoulder, turning her to face him. She stared at her feet as she waited for him to speak. He lifted her chin, his face falling in dismay as he saw the tears falling unchecked over her waxen cheeks. "Oh, _mo ghrá_, no. Don't cry," he murmured against her dark hair as he pulled her into his arms. "It didn't happen, Belle."

She sobbed brokenly in his embrace, taking small comfort in his tenderness. "I just watched my friends die, Nicholas. It most assuredly _did_ happen. In some alternate reality or parallel universe or _something_! But it did happen," she cried.

He stroked his hand over her nape, gently kneading the knot of tension there. "We'll figure this out," he assured her, lifting her chin again to brush his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "Come back with me. TJ has everything under control and you don't need to be alone right now."

"I can't watch you die on that video, Rush!" she said angrily, pushing out of his embrace. "I won't watch you die!"

He caught her hand before she could make good on her escape and pulled her back against his chest. "You won't have to, Belle. Please, just come with me. You don't have to watch." He pulled her iPhone from the back pocket of the fatigues she wore and held it up for her to see. "You can listen to your music, ok?"

She sagged against his chest in defeat. Her courage, the bravery she prided herself on seemed to have deserted her. She merely wanted to retreat to their quarters and burrow her head under the pillow. How could she abandon him to that video, have him possibly watch _her_ death and not remain with him? It wasn't so much that he couldn't get through watching the remainder of that video by himself. No, it was that he cared so much for her, he didn't want her to be alone, didn't want her to dwell on what she'd seen. He wanted to soothe and comfort her in her distress…just as she'd always done for him from the moment he'd let her into his life so many years ago.

Belle took the phone from him and slipped it back into her pocket before offering him a weak smile. It pained her that she was responsible for the anxiety in his gaze and she reached up to press her lips to his in a gentle kiss of reassurance, uncaring of who might stumble upon them in the corridor.

He crushed her to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. "We're prepared now, my Belle. We won't be going offworld. It won't happen." He pulled back and cradled her cheek in his warm palm. "I won't let any harm come to you."

"I know, Nicholas," she murmured, taking a deep breath to steady her pounding heart. "I—"

"Rush, are you coming?" Eli called, coming around the corner in search of him. "We're waiting and…oh…" He trailed off, looking away from what he was sure had been a private moment. "Sorry."

Belle slipped her hand into Rush's and twined her fingers with his, nodding hesitantly. "It's ok, Eli, we're coming."

"You're sure?" Rush asked as Eli turned and headed back to his quarters.

"I'm sure."

Rush inhaled sharply, the knot of anxiety in his chest easing considerably at her acquiescence. Young shot them an impatient frown as they returned to Eli's quarters and sat on the bunk. Rush cast him a blank look, uncaring if the man was upset or not. He tucked Belle into his side and wrapped an arm about her shoulders in a comforting embrace, nodding at Eli to restart the video from where they'd left off.

"Can't you fast forward this part?" Chloe asked, shuddering at the sight of her dead body frozen on the screen. It was all too surreal for her.

"Oh…yeah…sure," Eli said, fast forwarding the video and then pressing play as he sat back to watch.

X*X*X*X*X

_The Kino footage wavered as the device was positioned and Eli's face appeared on the screen, his face tight and drawn as he __struggled not to cry__. "Chloe's dead," he said, choking back a sob. "So is James, Park, Spencer, Marsden, Brody…all dead," He blinked rapidly, trying desperately not to break down. "Something's wrong with the Gate. Rush doesn't think we can risk using it, even with what's happened." _

_He picked up a roll of duct tape and tore off a strip, seemingly to bind the broken Kino to one of the military helmets so he could continue to film. "We can't reach Destiny on radio either, so apparently we're trapped here. There's twenty-two hours until Destiny jumps back into F.T.L. The creatures seem to be nocturnal. They stopped coming once the sun came up. Hopefully the Gate will start working before it gets dark again." He added more tape to the Kino, attaching it to the helmet. "Apparently we don't have much ammunition left."_

"_Eli. What are you doing?" Rush asked, watching Eli lift the helmet and place it on his head._

_The homemade helmet cam panned slowly around the base of the ramp and those who had survived the night. Scott was lying unconscious on the ground next to TJ where she kept watch over him. Franklin sat nearby, arching a brow at Eli's new invention. Belle sat with her back against the ramp, her eyes closed as she lifted her face up to the sun__,_ _Rush pac__ing_ _next to her, shaking his head wearily._

"_Leave him be, Nicholas. He's trying to be productive," she scolded gently, reaching out to him and pulling him down next to her. Her hands found the tense muscles of his neck and kneaded at them with a firm touch. "You should rest while you can. If tonight is anything like…"_

_Eli made his way over to a blanket-shrouded body and pulled it back to reveal Volker beneath the cover. "Volker wasn't killed by the creatures. TJ says he died of the illness during the night." The Kino panned around once again to show the remains of their group. "Everyone seems to be coming down with symptoms at this point…"_

"_Eli!" Rush snapped, glaring angrily at the boy._

_Eli whirled on him, equally furious and stressed to his breaking point. He'd lost Chloe, his best friend…the woman he loved if he were honest with himself…not to mention in fear for his own life and those that remained. "Do I need to point out yet again that documenting this could be important?!"_

Back on Destiny, Eli paused the video and cast an accusing glare at Rush. "See! What did I tell you!?"

Rush rolled his eyes and gestured for him to resume the video, refusing to admit he was wrong even though in this instance they'd have all been subject to the horrors on the Kino without Eli's obsession for filming everything.

_The __recording_ _started up once again to show Eli bending over Scott where he lay on the stretcher Franklin and Rush had made for him. "Scott was bitten by one of the creatures. He's now in a coma."_

_TJ reached up, resting the back of her hand to his brow, checking for fever. "Eli, you ok?" she asked worriedly._

_Eli snorted as the Kino panned to the left, over the shrouded members of their deceased team. "Huh! Compared to most everyone else…" he scoffed, letting his words trail away._

_The video skipped ahead, Greer jogging into the clearing. "I've found a cave that might offer us a bit more protection than leaving us out here in the open," he said. "It might __give_ _us a chance at least."_

_Belle and TJ didn't bat an eye as they rose and began gathering up their supplies. They shouldered a good bit of the packs as Rush, Franklin, Eli and Greer carried the stretcher bearing Lt Scott through the jungle. The cave Greer had found would provide them adequate shelter and a more defensible position than __the area __near the gate. The men brought Scott's prone body into the cave and deposited him on the ground where TJ could check his wound while Eli collapsed next to him, breathing heavily._

"_Oh, I'm so going to whip your ass into shape when we get back to the ship," Belle chuckled, handing him a canteen as he fought to catch his breath. "It's all well and good to be a brilliant math genius, Eli, but how long do you think you'll last if you don't take care of your body?"_

_His brows disappeared under his fringe of dark bangs. "I don't really like to exercise," he said, the tremor in his voice belying what was really on his mind…on everyone's mind. IF we make it back to the ship. "And I shouldn't have to when I'm not the only one out of shape." He cast a pointed look at Rush who in turn snorted as he drank from his own canteen. "You'd never catch him jogging all over the ship."_

_Belle smiled slyly as she leaned over to whisper in the boy's ear. "You'd be amazed by what I can make Dr. Rush do, Eli," she murmured silkily where Rush couldn't hear._

_Eli's mouth fell open in stunned horror. "Oh…Oh just…ewww! Could you please not tell me things like that?"_

_A peal of laughter echoed through the cave, enjoying being able to tease her friend._

Although Rush might not have heard her, the Kino picked up everything and everyone watching the footage in Eli's quarters turned to stare at her with barely concealed snickers. She blushed furiously and averted her gaze from the bemused smirk on Rush's thin lips. His look clearly said they'd be having a discussion about that later when they were alone.

_The Kino's camera followed her as she rose to her feet and moved to stand beside Rush and Greer. "We need to bury our dead, Ronald. We can't just leave them there," she said, lowering her eyes as she thought of the friends they'd lost_.

_Greer nodded, his brows drawn together in a dark frown. "You're right, Miss Belle."_

_Rush curled his hand around her fingers and squeezed. "Rest." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "That wasn't a request." He drew her forward and pressed his lips to her brow. His eyes were dark and brooding and she simply nodded, not wishing to argue with him. He followed Greer from the cave, his shoulders set with determination, trusting her to obey him._

_She watched him move through the brush until she couldn't see him anymore before she returned to Eli's side and laid back against her pack, curling up on her side __so_ _she could still __keep an eye on_ _him as he talked quietly to TJ._

_His expression clearly showed his melancholy and Belle's hear__t_ _went out to him, knowing this had to be harder on him that the rest of the team. "I have a lot of respect for people who do what you do," he said, watching TJ closely as she changed the bandage o__n_ _Scott's shoulder. "It's not easy, I can tell. It really affects you when you can't help people."_

"_It does," the medic agreed, offering him a wan smile._

"_My mom was a nurse. She got stuck by a needle trying to restrain a junkie in the ER. She got HIV."_

_Belle sat up and reached out for his hand, squeezing it reassuringly, silently telling him that she was there for him, that she cared for him and the pain that must have caused him._

Back on Destiny, Belle rose from the bunk and moved to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around his wide shoulders. Chloe did the same, sitting on his other side as she too offered him her sympathy. He hung his head as the recording continued, silently fighting back tears as he heard his other self speak in a listless voice about how his father couldn't take the fact that his mother was sick and had decided to leave them.

"_I'm so sorry," Belle said, her eyes burning with unshed tears._

"_You have any family, Belle?" he asked, genuinely curious._

_She looked down at their joined hands. "I did…long ago. I haven't seen my father in ten years," she said wistfully, wondering if he even still lived…or even if he was in this land._

_His brows drew together in a puzzled frown, wondering over the underlying tone of what she wasn't saying. He sighed, his lower lip trembling. "I'm really afraid that my mom is just gonna give up if I die out here."_

On Destiny, Eli closed his eyes, his grief overwhelming. It was compounded by the fact that he'd left himself so vulnerable in front of his crewmates. He ducked his head and surreptitiously swiped at the tears glistening on his lashes. Belle squeezed his shoulder and Chloe took his hand, lending their support.

Eli glanced over at Chloe as she rubbed at her left temple. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, worried over her ashen complexion.

"My head hurts," she murmured, offering him a weak smile as she rose to her feet. "Maybe if I just take a walk I'll—"

She didn't get a chance to finish as she swayed unsteadily on her feet and tipped forward. Scott, standing a few paces behind them, rushed forward and caught her before she could crash to the floor.

Young recovered from his slouch against the wall, holding up a hand to forestall Eli and Belle from crowding Chloe in their desire to help. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Scott said, lifting her head onto his lap. "Uh, she started complaining that her head hurt and she just dropped."

Rush frowned down at her prone form. "It's been three hours since we dropped out of FTL. That's about the time people began to get sick on the planet in the recording."

Scott lifted her into his arms and headed towards the infirmary, hoping TJ would be able to shed some light on their newest predicament.

TJ hurried to Scott's side, leaving her current patient and pointing him to a bed where he could lay Chloe down for her to examine her. "What happened?"

"She was complaining of a headache and just collapsed," Scott explained, stepping out of the medic's way as she peeled back one of the girl's lids to check her pupil response.

She glanced over at Everett, who'd followed them to the infirmary. "I've got four more cases…so far everyone who went to the planet or came in contact with someone who did."

"Can it be contained?"

TJ shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's extremely virulent."

"On the recording, Eli said Volker died because of it," he replied.

"How quickly?"

Young leveled her with a pointed stare, hating to be the bearer of bad news, but seeing no way around it. "Within twelve hours."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush leaned against the wall at his back and suppressed a yawn as his eyes skimmed over Belle's bare back, his fingers itching to roam over her delicate ivory flesh. She paced restlessly in the confined space of Eli's quarters, alternating between watching the recording and hovering near the door to see if Scott would come back bearing news of her friend.

"I'm sure he'll contact us on the radio if there's any news," Eli said, pausing the footage. "Right?"

Belle nodded and waved a hand towards the screen, urging him to continue before her courage failed her and she wouldn't be able to watch anymore. Already it was getting darker in the video, signaling nightfall was fast approaching. She shuddered as she thought of the creatures that had destroyed half their team and she was forced to wrap her arms around herself to still her trembling.

She raised a dubious brow at Greer as she watched him on the recording teach Eli the basics on firing his semi-automatic rifle. Of course, Eli cast her a brilliant smile over his shoulder, proud of his other self for being a quick learner. But what had her eyes widening in surprise was when the master sergeant stepped behind her and wrapped her hands around a Glock.

"Now, see!" she cried, her voice rising in pitch. "This confirms that this will never happen. I hate guns." Another time and place flitted across her mind's eye. A time when Rumpel had forced her to take his handgun in order to protect herself, a certain pirate and the loss of her memories. She caressed the tea cup pendant resting just beneath her collarbone and sighed, thankful for the charm he'd given her so long ago. _It will protect you, sweetheart. My magic will not fail you._

Greer grinned at her, in no way sensing her inner struggle with the long dead memory of her lost love. "Aw, come on, Miss Belle. That will be the next step in your offensive training," he said with a chuckle.

Rush snorted. Just what they all needed…his temperamental assistant with a gun!

Belle shook her head, firm in her decision to forego that part of her training with the marine and focused once more on the screen, watching herself and Eli help Greer plant C4 explosives in the huge mounds the creatures seemed to dwell in. It would in no way take out all of them, but the ones they were able to blow up were that many less they'd have to waste their precious ammunition on.

_The footage showed their return to the cave where TJ was caring for Scott and Franklin, who had now slipped further into his illness, his large body still and listless. Rush entered moments later, the Kino remote clutched in his hand, his hair slicked back away from his face, wet with the rain that had begun to fall._

"_Did using the other remote help?" Eli asked as soon as Rush made his way over to them._

"_I was able to get a connection, but the wormhole's still unstable. Nothing from Destiny on the radio either," he said, frowning when he noticed Franklin would be no help that night in their battle against the creatures…not that he was ever of any real help, he thought with disgust._

"_Well is it broken or is there a chance it could resolve by itself?" Eli asked, exasperated._

_Rush shook his head in frustration. "There are any number of things that could be causing temporary interference. We have eleven hours until Destiny is supposed to jump back into FTL, but there's no way of telling how long this problem is going to last."_

_Eli threw his hands up before raking them through his damp locks. "And I guess it would be crazy to just try and go anyway."_

"_Look, we can't assume that the gate is actually even connecting to Destiny. There would be very little chance of surviving an unstable wormhole," Rush assured him. He didn't add that he would never chance such a thing with Belle's life._

Belle took the opportunity to contact TJ on the radio to check on Chloe while Eli fast forwarded through what seemed to be a lull in their activity. Unfortunately, there had been no change and more and more of the crew were falling ill. She'd just hooked her radio back on the belt of her fatigues when she noticed, on the screen, the rain had picked up and night had fully fallen.

_She was crouched down between Rush and Eli, the flashlights they'd rigged around the perimeter of the cave barely illuminating the clearing. _

A violent shudder wracked her small frame as the sound of the creatures chittering noises echoed throughout Eli's quarters from the speakers.

Rush slipped his arms around her, turning her quickly and pressing her face to his shoulder. "Don't look, _mo chroí,_" he crooned softly, feeling the tremors he could do little to soothe. He rubbed her back, closing his eyes as he relished the feel of her bare skin beneath his hands. He paid scant attention to the screen, his focus on the girl in his kept a tight grip on her, watching the remaining footage on the screen.

Eli's planetary counterpart switched on the night vision on the Kino remote, revealing the creatures swiftly advancing on them. Belle jerked violently in startled surprise as the sound of gunfire permeated the room. He shouldn't have made her stay. He should have let her help TJ or even seek the solace of their quarters. This was taking more of a toll on her than he'd thought it would.

_Completely out of ammunition, Rush threw the rifle on the ground and dug frantically in the pack beside him for the Kino remote. Without a word to Greer or Eli, he grabbed Belle's hand and dragged her behind him across the clearing and through the jungle, screams ringing out behind them to be lost beneath the sound of the pouring rain._

"_Rush! We can't leave them!" Belle shrieked as he stopped at the ramp leading up to the gate, already dialing._

"_And we can't stay and die!" he yelled back. "This is our only chance!"_

_Eli burst through the foliage and gaped at Rush as if he'd lost his mind. "What the hell?" he cried._

_Rush stopped with one foot on the ramp, Belle's hand clasped securely in his. He turned to Eli. "Someone has to try. Look, I'll radio if we make it. You'll know it's safe."_

"_But…but you said…" Eli spluttered as the gate fritzed with static, but the doctor paid him no heed._

_Rush pulled Belle into his arms and kissed her soundly. "You trust me?"_

"_This again!? Of course I do!" she hissed in exasperation, rolling her eyes as he grabbed hold of her wrist and started up the ramp._

"_Belle?"_

"_Yeah?" she murmured as they neared the wormhole, fighting back the terror rising in her throat to choke her._

"_I love you."_

_She turned her head to look at him, her mouth falling open in breathless amazement, unable to respond before he pulled her through the fritzing puddle._

Rush cursed inwardly as Belle stiffened in his arms, her wide eyes rising to his face. _Shit! This is not how I wanted her to find out, damnit!_ "Eli, fast forward!"

"Rewind!" she hissed, whirling back to see the screen. _No, no, no, no! I couldn't have heard him say that! He couldn't love me!_

"Belle…" he said, reaching out a beseeching hand, but she wouldn't turn to face him, calmly shushing him as she focused on the screen. Rush groaned. She had Eli play it over three times before she was satisfied. Did all this have to come out in view of witnesses!?

Belle studied his counterpart's face, taking in the tenderness and love radiating from those sable orbs she knew so well. _No!_ Her analytical mind refused to process it. She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing briskly at her arms. She felt as though she were trying to hold herself together under the onslaught of this new information. She hated that feeling. She hadn't felt this anxious in years and she refused to let it eat at her now.

She raised her chin obstinately and pasted a bright smile on her lips that belied the turmoil roiling and churning in her stomach. "Well…we all say things we don't mean when we think we're going to die."

Eli shifted uncomfortably, waiting for her word to resume the video while Greer whistled softly.

"Belle, I—" Rush began only to have her cut him off.

"Go on, Eli. Let's bloody well finish this, shall we?" she asked, her voice sharp enough to cut through steel. If she and Rush were going to have this conversation, it would have to wait until they no longer had an audience and the crisis had been averted.

Young had returned and stood silently in the doorway. He lowered his gaze and groaned at this new development. He pulled Greer to the side. "Keep her away from any active consoles," he whispered in an aside. Greer cast him a puzzled look and he shook his head. "Just trust me."

"Colonel Young, Dr. Rush," came TJ's voice over the radio. "Can you please come to the infirmary?"

Eli paused the recording and turned in time to see the two men leave his quarters. Belle sank down onto his bunk and leveled him with a determined stare. "Rewind it."

X*X*X*X*X

Everett smirked at Rush as they entered the infirmary, barely able to hide his amusement at the doctor's present predicament with his assistant. Rush did his best to ignore him as he stepped up the microscope TJ pointed to on the table.

He looked into the eyepiece and frowned at the tiny squiggly forms through the viewer. "What is it?" he asked, stepping back so Young could have a look as well.

"Some sort of micro-organism," TJ replied.

Young blinked several times as he stepped back. "Something brought back from the planet?"

TJ shook her head. "Not the planet they just went to. The planet you and Scott went to…the ice planet," she explained.

The colonel leaned his shoulder against the wall as he regarded her steadily. "That was weeks ago. How do you know?"

"This is a sample of the water we've been drinking, isn't it?" Rush asked, taking a seat on the stool next to the table.

"When people outside the quarantine started coming down with symptoms, I knew we needed to look for another common source."

"But we tested it at the time," Young argued.

TJ shrugged. "At the time, we couldn't see it. The microscope just wasn't powerful enough. The organism was just too small. It's possible that a batch of water wasn't purified properly and it contaminated the rest."

"So we've all got it?" the colonel asked, needing confirmation.

"Well, everyone's immune system is different. The time it takes for symptoms to emerge will vary, but once it's strong enough to pass from the blood to the nervous system, it works fast - and the antibiotics won't cut it."

Rush pushed himself off the stool and headed for the door. "Perfect!" he growled. Just one more problem to add to many. Impending doom and an angry Belle…he didn't know which would be more painful.

X*X*X*X*X

Eli tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Young and Rush to return. Belle sat still as a statue on his bunk alternating from worry and agitation or some combination of the two as she thought of what she'd seen on the recording regarding Rush's feelings for her. Greer leaned against the wall near the door still shaken from watching his counterpart's gruesome death, though he tried to hide it.

"Alright, Eli, let's be done with this," Rush snarled as he came into the room and stood behind the boy.

Eli spun around on his bench, anxious for news of Chloe. "Wait, how's Chloe? Is she any better? Has TJ been able to help her?"

"No, she hasn't," Young murmured softly as he came in behind Rush. "It seems our water supply is contaminated. That's what is making everyone sick, and as it stands…things don't look good."

Rush snorted. "Quite the understatement, Colonel," he sneered, waving a hand at Eli impatiently.

Eli pressed play once again and the camera seemed to by lying on its side, giving them a good view of Lt Scott lying on the stretcher…surprisingly, making signs of coming out of his coma. Belle lowered her eyes, her fingers toying with her pendant, unable to watch the sheer horror on the young lieutenant's face or hear the despair in his voice as he discovered the fate of his team.

_The Kino camera swung wildly as he made his way through the jungle back towards the gate, using the remote he'd taken from Eli's lifeless hand to dial back to Destiny. It wasn't promising that the puddle was still fritzing erratically. _

"_It's forty five minutes until Destiny jumps back into FTL," he said brokenly as he choked back a sob. "Everyone here is dead except me. I don't remember much after we were attacked the first night. One of the creatures bit me and I lost consciousness. I'd started to feel sick, headache, pain in the back of the neck. The bite still hurts like a bitch, but everything else is…is better." He swung the Kino towards the gate to reveal the still fritzing puddle. _

_The Kino zoomed back in on his face. "Uh, the gate still doesn't seem to be working__, and_ _I can't reach Destiny on the radio. I'm hoping it's just a communications problem and that everything else is…is ok up there. I'm sending this through and I'm expecting that you will send some sort of a signal that it is safe to proceed. I will wait as long as I can, then I'll head through regardless. On my own, I likely won't survive the night here."_

_Scott lowered the Kino and carried it up the ramp towards the fritzing event horizon, pausing only a moment before tossing it through the wormhole. A split second later it emerged on the other side of the puddle, spinning through the air as it fell. The images were distorted as it rolled down the ramp, but it was clear the device hadn't made it to the ship. As the spinning slowed and came to a stop, the camera showed a clear picture of two more of the crew that had perished…Rush and Belle._

Belle bit down on her lip, a whimper escaping her throat as her eyes filled with tears. She turned away, rising to her feet to leave the room, unable to look upon Rush's lifeless body. She walked out into the common room adjoining Eli's quarters, surprised when Rush let her go without a fuss.

Eli paused the footage, waving his hands excitedly at the screen. "What…just…happened?!"

Young looked to Rush for answers. The doctor was staring at the screen through narrowed eyes, realization dawning in his dark eyes. "It went back in time." He turned and walked out of Eli's quarters, catching Belle's eye as he did so. She fell into step behind him without question. She knew that look of anxiety that settled so firmly on his visage. It meant he had a new problem to solve and little time to do it.

Eli, Young and Greer also followed after him as he beat a hasty retreat to the gate room. "What are you doing, Rush?" the colonel called after him.

"I'm making sure it hasn't happened yet," he answered, taking up his position behind the primary console to dial the gate.

"_What_ hasn't happened yet?" Eli asked, pacing anxiously in front of the console.

Rush shook his head to dislodge the hair that had fallen into his eyes as he met Eli's querulous gaze. "A solar flare. It's the only explanation. If a wormhole's trajectory takes it too close to a star and it passes through an active solar flare…"

"…it can cause it to move forwards or backwards in time," Belle finished for him, her eyes widening in surprise. "I thought that was just a theory."

"Apparently not," he continued, looking down into her thoughtful gaze. He could practically hear the gears grinding in her brilliant mind. "And in some cases, the wormhole can actually loop back around and connect to the same gate in a different time…in this case, the past."

Eli raked both of his hands through his hair, pulling at the dark strands. "Whoa! Whoa! Ok, this is making my brain hurt."

Belle smiled indulgently at the boy as Rush continued. "The _us_ on that recording dropped out of FTL and went to the planet. Sometime later a solar flare occurred, preventing normal gate travel."

"So, Scott thought that he was sending the Kino back to Destiny, but he was actually sending it back to the planet…but in the past," Eli said, his brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to work it out in his head. "God! That is so weird to think that was really us on the Kino."

He nodded. "Us in a previous, unaltered timeline, modified now by the introduction of the Kino from the future," Rush said, leaning his palms on the console.

The gate finished dialing and the event horizon whooshed forward before settling into its puddle. "Why are we dialing the gate back there, doc?" Greer asked, a puzzled frown on his dark brow.

Rush rubbed at the back of his neck, sighing wearily as he studied the data on his console. "As I said, to make sure the solar flare that disrupted gate travel hasn't happened yet." He was pleased to see the puddle shimmer and ripple with the absence of the fritzing static. "Thankfully it hasn't."

"Yeah, but why do we care about that?" the master sergeant persisted.

Belle laid her hand on Rush's arm, drawing his troubled gaze to her. "You think we might have to go back there, don't you?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

X*X*X*X*X

TJ stood in Eli's quarters, having been dragged away from her patients to watch Scott's report on the footage. "…_I'd started to feel sick, headache, pain in the back of the neck. The bite still hurts like a bitch, but everything else is…is better." _

Eli paused the playback and glanced at her expectantly. Scott still looked unsure. TJ shrugged. "It's possible, I guess. The venoms of various animals…snakes, spiders, scorpions…they've all been tested for their antibiotic properties."

Scott cast her a dubious look. "What? You're saying that _thing_ that bit me can actually cure what's making everyone sick?"

"Well, you fell into a coma. It obviously releases some sort of venom when it bites. You apparently survived and said you were feeling better," she said, pointing to his image on the screen as proof.

Eli made a choked sound of distress in the back of his throat as he turned to stare at her incredulously. "But…you're just guessing. And those things were…" he paused, his hands curling into claws as his gaze flitted back to the screen. "…well…"

"Based on this video," she explained, "people are going to die from this infection, and quickly." She turned her worried gaze on the colonel. "I know it seems like a wild stab in the dark, but I don't know what else to do. This may very well be our best chance."

"Well, we've all been exposed, so it's just a matter of time before we all get it, right?" he asked, sighing when TJ nodded. "I'll put a team together."

X*X*X*X*X

Young pulled his tactical vest over his uniform and fastened the buckles over his chest. Spencer, Scott and Greer were suiting up to go with him. He could only hope they would be successful.

Belle fiddled with the Kino remote as she stood next to Rush at the console. "We're getting readings, Colonel. Thankfully, it's still daylight."

Young hefted his pack onto his back and checked his weapon, nodding.

"According to the time stamp on the recording, you have an hour 'til the first team lost contact because of the solar flare," Eli said, helping Scott with his pack.

Rush leveled the colonel with a pointed stare. "Forty five minutes, to be safe."

"How many do you think we'll need?" Scott asked, turning to question the medic.

"Hopefully, a small dosage of the venom will do it," TJ replied, taking an educated guess.

"Dead or alive?" the lieutenant asked.

TJ winced, knowing her answer would make their chances of success lower. "Alive, preferably. I can't exactly anticipate the physiology."

"Not much time," Young said, stepping forward and leading his team up the ramp to disappear through the event horizon.

"Good luck," Rush murmured, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

Belle noticed and reached up to cradle his face in her hands, recoiling when the heat of his skin met with hers. "Gods, Nicholas! You're burning up," she gasped as TJ made her way over to them to check him.

"I'm fine!" he snarled, backing away from them as he held up his hands to ward them off.

"Come on, Rush, let's get you to the infirmary. I have an idea," TJ said, smiling tiredly.

"What do you have in mind?" Belle asked, linking her arm through Rush's as TJ grabbed his other, giving the man no choice but to go along with them as they made their way out of the gate room.

Instead of leading Rush to one of the many gurneys in the room, knowing he'd fight them on it, TJ brought him over to her desk and sat him down in a chair. "I think we need to take blood samples and see who is in the direst need for the serum I plan to make. I don't want anyone dying before they get their chance for the injection."

Belle nodded. "I think that's very wise. Is there anything I can do to help?" She smiled down at Rush. "We can start with Nicholas."

"We might as well since we have him here," TJ agreed.

"I'm bloody well sitting right here!" he snarked, crossing his arms over his chest as he glowered at them both. "My hearing hasn't gone and I _can_ hear you."

TJ rolled her eyes and brought out a syringe and tourniquet. "Have you ever drawn blood before, Belle? It would go a lot faster if you could assist."

Belle bit her lip as Rush's eyes widened, just knowing he was going to get volunteered to be her guinea pig. "Oh no…I think _not_!"

"No," Belle answered, scowling at Rush. "But I'm a quick learner. It's not like we have a choice."

TJ pushed his sleeve up on his left arm and tied the tourniquet about his bicep as Belle watched closely. "Make a fist, Dr. Rush." She tossed Belle a pair of latex gloves.

Rush shot to his feet, his gaze swinging between the medic and his little assistant. "I am not letting you turn me into a pincushion!"

Belle pressed down hard on his shoulder and he flopped back into the chair. "This is necessary, Nicholas. Suck it up! Don't tell me you're afraid of needles. You did fine when we had our physicals before joining Icarus."

"But you weren't the one wielding the needle!"

TJ turned her face away to hide the smile blooming on her lips. "Alright, you two," she said tapping her fore and middle fingers against the crook of his elbow. "Pump your fist, Dr. Rush." Reluctantly, he obeyed. She traced his arm with her gloved finger as she handed Belle the syringe, happy the girl's hands remained steady. "This is the median cubital vein, the most common for blood draws. You should need no more than thirty cc's for testing."

Rush jerked his arm back as Belle neared him with the needle and TJ grabbed for it, securing it to her desk. Belle narrowed her eyes on him as he stared back defiantly. "Go in at an angle, Belle, and simply slip it beneath the skin and into the vein. Really easy," TJ said, speaking in a calm tone to set Belle at ease. There was no easing Rush.

The needle slipped smoothly into his arm with a slight pinch, but none of the pain he'd expected. She drew his blood into the syringe and took the cotton ball from TJ, placing it over the tiny hole in his arm as she withdrew the needle. "See, you big baby," Belle teased. "I'm not completely inept." She handed the syringe to TJ before adding, "And you don't get a Jolly Rancher as a prize because you had to be such a naughty boy."

A wicked smirk curled one side of his mouth as she tapped his nose with her forefinger playfully. "Perhaps not, _mo_ _ghrá," _he said silkily as he rose to his feet and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "But I _will_ get a taste, won't I? They taste better on your tongue anyway."

Heat flooded her face as she arched a brow at him, nodding slowly.

TJ snorted, drawing their attention back to her. "Dr. Rush, would you like to assist as well? The quicker we can get this done the better."

His dark eyes brightened considerably. "Yes, Lieutenant, I believe I will…and I can start with Belle."

Belle met his challenging gaze with one of her own and sat down in the chair, thrusting her arm out. His face fell because she was in no way intimidated by a little blood draw, or the fact that he would be the one wielding the needle. _Cheeky wench!_

TJ took a bit of his blood and added several drops to a slide she'd labeled with his name. She inserted it into the microscope and hastily noted the progression of the organisms in his blood while he was seeing to Belle. She did the same with Belle's blood sample.

"Alright, TJ, your turn," Belle said, readying a fresh syringe, breathing a sigh of relief that they'd found a more than adequate supply in the Ancient crates. It didn't take Belle quite as long to draw hers, feeling more comfortable after her success with Rush.

"I think you should both begin with the sickest of our patients and then progress to those who haven't shown symptoms yet."

Belle and Rush gathered a tray and the supplies necessary to set to work as well as a pen and a roll of masking tape…all that was available at the moment…to label the draws. TJ set to work, reaching for the slide with Belle's blood and inserting it into the microscope.

"What the hell?" she asked, rubbing the back of her hand over her brow in confusion as she turned to seek out her friend across the room. She took up the syringe containing Belle's blood and prepared another slide. It revealed the same results. Whereas the organisms had attached themselves to the red blood cells in the previous slides with the blood taken from TJ and Rush, Belle's blood was free of the organism altogether. "This isn't possible."

Rush followed Belle back to TJ's workstation and set his tray down before filling another to take draws from the next group. "Dr. Rush?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked, curious as to her worried expression.

"Could you please take a look at the slides?"

Rush swiveled his head, trying to relieve the pain at the back of his neck before nodding and pressing his eye to the eyepiece. "Whose sample is this?"

"That's yours," she said, reaching forward to switch out the slide with her own. "And this is mine."

"It seems I have progressed a bit further than you," he grumbled. "Is this what you wanted to show me?"

"No," she murmured, replacing her slide with Belle's.

Rush jerked back from the microscope in surprise as his eyes met Belle's healthy blood sample. "How is this possible?" he asked, looking again as he increased the magnification. It was perfectly healthy no matter how he adjusted the settings on the device.

"What's wrong with me?" Belle asked worriedly as Rush and the medic stared at her in alarm.

"You've been drinking the water just like the rest of us, Belle. How is it that you haven't contracted this infection?" he asked, a dark frown knitting his brow. His gaze swung back to TJ. "Is it possible she somehow carries antibodies to fight it off?"

Belle bit her lip as she looked between them. "There's no chance of that. There's nothing like it on Earth, not to mention it's an _alien_ organism. I couldn't have—"

"She's right, but I have no way of explaining this," the blonde said, shaking her head as she began preparing more samples to study and catalogue from mildest to most severe. "It could be that her immune system is just better equipped to handle the infection and it hasn't yet manifested. That would be my best guess."

"Then I'll be the last to get an injection of the serum…just to be on the safe side," Belle said with a wry smile before she turned to begin her draws with the next group.

Rush frowned after her and rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin.

"Dr. Rush?" TJ queried. "Are you going to—"

"Yes, yes, lieutenant," he said distractedly as he lifted his refilled tray and set off to work, but his mind was having more than a little difficulty on concentrating on anything other than his Belle and why she wasn't suffering from the infection running rampant among the crew.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle twisted her fingers together nervously as she entered Eli's quarters. She didn't feel right about being there when he wasn't. It seemed like an invasion of his privacy, but the Kino footage was supposed to be for all of them. She was sure he would take time tomorrow to edit most of it for his documentary.

The recording was still paused at the last point they'd all seen together, Eli having left it to sit at Chloe's side while they waited for the away team to return. As far as she knew, he was still there awaiting his injection. The offworld team hadn't encountered any problems on the planet and had come back with enough of the creatures to successfully make a serum to fight off the infection. Rush, not wanting her anywhere near the chittering beasties, sent her off to amuse herself. _Lovely_, she thought bitterly.

He, no doubt, expected her to curl up with her Kindle and read one of the many books in her library or do some yoga while listening to her music…or even get some work done. But she couldn't get the thought of her blood sample out of her mind. She sat back in Eli's chair and stretched her arms over her head, yawning widely as she pressed play on his laptop. Her stomach churned violently as she stared at the gaping hole between her doppelganger's shoulder blades, her back to the camera and one arm slung over Rush's back. Even in death she'd sought his touch.

The steady hum of the FTL drive lulled her into a peaceful lassitude and she dozed off, jerking awake when Rush called for her over the radio strapped to her waistband. "Belle, it's time for your injection."

"Ok," she said with a yawn. "I'll be there in a few." She switched off the radio and put it away, reaching out to also turn off the recording…and did a double take.

She inched closer to the screen and rubbed at her eyes, doubtful of what she was seeing. The wound on her counterpart's back had decreased in size twofold, the skin having somehow knit back together at the edges of the gaping hole. "What the hell?"

A violent shiver tripped up her spine as she grasped the tea cup pendant in her trembling hands and fast forwarded the video. Her mouth gaped in horror as she watched the speeding footage, the wound closing until there was nothing left to mar her ivory flesh. Belle on the screen took a deep breath, gasping as she sucked in a lungful of air, her head swinging back and forth in confusion. A piercing keening cry escaped her lips and peeled through the jungle foliage as she sat up and shook Rush's shoulder. She cried and wailed and pleaded with him to wake and Belle covered her mouth to still her quivering lower lip as tears flooded over her ashen cheeks, her counterpart's despair just as real as her own. Finally the Belle on the planet rose to her feet and backed away, the Kino no longer able to follow her progress since it was no longer flight-worthy.

The repercussions crashed into Belle like a wave at high tide and the breath hitched painfully in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she backed up the footage and deleted the recording from where they'd watched it to the end. She then made sure to cover her tracks, making sure no one could tell she'd tampered with the footage. Picking up the Kino remote, she then deleted it from there as well. If anyone were to see it, she'd be strapped down to a cold metal table for experimentation faster than Rush could toss Volker from the control room. If he didn't turn on her as well.

She rose shakily to her feet, backing away from the console and Eli's computer, her back slamming against the wall as she fought to take deep even breaths, her fingers clenching around her pendant.

Her lips parted on a gasp. For ten years, since the moment Gold had fastened it around her neck, she'd never tried to remove it. She couldn't have his ring, but her necklace was the next best thing…her own memento, his memory preserved. His gold…his love…his magic. She wrapped both hands around the thin gold chain and jerked at it with all her strength…but it remained firmly secured about her pale throat. There _was_ no removing it. _FUCK!_

Her eyes closed as she slid down the smooth metal wall as the memory took root and projected itself prominently in her mind's eye. He'd still been adorned in the blue dragon hide he'd worn in Neverland as his hands rested on her shoulders and his warm lips had brushed a kiss against her nape. "_I will always protect you, my darling Belle. Never doubt that."_

The radio crackled again and with a trembling hand she reached for it. "Belle, where are you?" Rush asked, his brogue thick with worry.

"I'm h-here, Nicholas," she answered, her voice weak as tears continued to leak from her closed lashes. "I'll be there soon, ok?"

The radio dropped to her lap as she drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

"What have you done to me, Rumpel?"

**A/N: Yeah, yeah I know you're all full of WTF questions and are ready to skin me alive for the cliffie. *locks lips and tosses the key under the desk* Sorry, my loves. I won't be revealing anything until the next chapter. Hope you decide to join us for the next installment.**

**And for those of you who are probably screaming at the computer screen hurling curses that even Rumpel can't bring anyone back from the dead…I know this…and…he didn't. Remember...Patience is a virtue (o:**

**Don't forget...I'm on tumblr now at CharlotteAshmore13 so feel free to leave a prompt.**

**Great big shoutout to my awesome reviewers: Wondermorena, xXSedationXx, cynicsquest (the review AND all the wonderful PM's), PartyintheTARDIS12, JosephineM, and Twyla Mercedes. xoxox**


	9. Life

**A/N: There's a little bit of smutty goodness in the second section, so if that's not your thing, well…skip it XD**

Chapter Nine: Life

"I'll wait, if it's all the same to you," Rush said as he regarded the medic through narrowed eyes. "Belle first."

TJ gave him a blank look and then rolled her eyes as the next crew member, that hadn't already collapsed from the virus, stepped forward to be inoculated. "Rush, you're burning with fever and It's only by pure stubbornness, I'm sure, that you haven't succumbed to unconsciousness. Belle would want you—"

"I'll wait for her!" he growled, pinning her with a stare that brooked no objection.

"Well, at least sit down before you fall over. I can't believe you haven't already."

"I'm still not so sure I won't anyway," he mumbled as he dropped onto the stool beside her workstation. Apparently the venom she'd transformed into the serum that would save them all had some adverse side effects. One being extreme fatigue. He didn't have time for a damn nap! His work had already been placed on the back burner in light of their new crisis. And where the hell was Belle?!

Belle shouldered her way to the front of the line as she entered the infirmary. "TJ, how's it going? Need any—Nicholas! What are you still doing in here?" she asked, making her way around the table to his side. "And you're burning up with fever." She pressed the back of her hand to his brow, shrinking back when the touch nearly burned her. "Has he had a dose, Tamara?"

"No, I bloody well have not. I've called for you repeatedly over the last twenty minutes. Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting—"

Without a word, TJ pressed the inoculation gun into Belle's hands and picked up another. While Rush was distracted with his latest tantrum, Belle pressed the gun to his neck and pulled the trigger, the serum slowly dispensing through the tip. He cringed, but otherwise didn't protest. "There," she said softly, brushing the hair away from his brow. "You shouldn't have waited for me. You're very sick, Nicholas, and to deny yourself a life-saving injection, well, it's bloody well stupid."

Belle shrugged one arm out of her flak jacket and presented it to TJ who swabbed a small patch of skin and injected her with the serum. A serum she apparently didn't need, Belle thought bitterly. She pulled the jacket back on and thanked TJ.

"You might want to get him to bed. Both of you. The serum is affecting everyone differently as far as side effects are presenting, but the majority are suffering fatigue and will want their own beds before they collapse in one of the corridors," the medic warned with a weary smile.

"I'll stay and help if you need it," Belle assured her, not really wanting to have that discussion about what they'd seen on the Kino with Rush anytime soon.

"No, you go. I only have a few people left and then I'll be ready to find my own bed."

Belle nodded and turned to her cantankerous boss. And yes, though they'd started this new phase of their relationship, he was still, in fact, her boss. He still signed her checks…sort of, she thought with a roll of her eyes. "Alright, Nicholas, let's get you to your quarters and—Nicholas!" she shrieked as he pitched forward. He would have easily toppled to the floor if she hadn't already been there to catch him.

"What the hell, man?" Eli asked from his place in line.

Rush lifted his head and grinned at Belle, then pulled her closer and rubbed his face against her stomach, closing his eyes with a sigh of contentment. Her face went up in flames of mortification as his arms wrapped around the backs of her thighs. She shook his shoulder, turning slightly to shield him from the last of the marines and airmen snickering over her shoulder. "Nicholas!" she hissed, shaking him harder. Her brow creased in concern. It reminded her of the time she'd found him in his office with a half empty bottle…of…scotch. _Fuck! _Just what she needed...a drunk Rush.

"TJ, a little help?" she asked dolefully over her shoulder. "Is this one of the side effects?"

The medic's brows disappeared somewhere near her hairline, and she wasn't able to hide her surprise. "Wow, he must have really been sleep deprived if the serum worked this fast."

"Aww, seems like Dr. Rush has his own personal teddy bear," Spencer sneered from his place in line.

Belle whipped her head around, pinning him with her narrow eyed stare, but before she could reprimand the marine sergeant, Greer smacked him across the back of his bald head. "Show some respect for Miss Belle," he hissed.

"Damn, man, just sayin'. Look at him," the man protested.

Rush snuffled softly against her belly, oblivious to the fact that the military personnel in the room would have more than a fair bit of ribbing in store for him the next morning. Belle turned back to him with a pained expression as she lifted a hand to the back of his neck and kneaded his tired muscles. He pressed closer, his arms tightening about the backs of her thighs.

"What are you talking about?" Eli asked, his gaze swinging between Rush and TJ.

"The effects vary. We already know it causes extreme fatigue. Everyone knows Dr. Rush doesn't sleep as he should, so it's understandable the serum would affect him quickly," she explained.

"Alright, damnit," Belle scoffed. "Any volunteers to help me get him to his quarters?" Her hands wrapped tightly around his left bicep as she tried to urge him to his feet. "Nicholas, can you stand up? We need to go for a short walk and then you can sleep," she cajoled in a calm tone. It was the same she used on him when he was in a particularly foul mood.

He grumbled and again rubbed his face against her belly. "Don't want to," he murmured, his voice muffled against her shirt.

She shot a pleading look at Eli when no one else stepped forward to help. She knew Greer would have offered his help had TJ not been waiting to give him his dose of medication. Rush slumped heavily against her as she and Eli got him into an upright position, his feet unsteady beneath him. She winced as he buried his fever-hot face against the crook of her neck.

"Don't feel well, Belle," he murmured, swaying a little as he fought to keep his balance. "What did she do to me?"

Belle glared at the marines as she passed the lot of them, Eli supporting the doctor on his right. "It's alright, Nicholas. You're just tired and the serum is making you more so," she crooned softly as his head dropped to her shoulder.

Eli yawned. "So, Belle, how are you?" he asked, bearing more of Rush's weight to ease her burden. He tried to take measured steps as they started down the dimly lit corridor. "That couldn't have been very easy for you to…um…y'know watch the…"

"I'm alright, Eli," she said with a small smile, touched by the boy's concern.

He looked thoughtful as they turned a corner. "And you know you can't really go by what was on the recording because I mean it really wasn't us…not _us_ us, y'know? Maybe it was…but like an evil twin type of reality and…"

"Eli!" Belle admonished, shaking her head. "Everything will be fine now. Time travel notwithstanding, we're fine. We were warned in time to save everyone and that's all that matters."

Rush snuffled softly against her neck and she could practically feel the gesture against her skin. "My Belle," he slurred, losing his balance and jerking away from Eli in the process. Belle was carried along with him as he tripped into the bulkhead, trapping her between his body and the metal wall. He grinned sleepily, his brow dropping to her shoulder as he inhaled sharply. "You smell good."

"It's ok, Nicholas," she crooned softly, petting his hair as he sighed happily. "We're almost there. Can you stand up for me? I'm a bit squished," she lamented as Eli stood nearby trying to look anywhere but at the two of them in such an intimate position.

"Tired," he mumbled, pressing his hot face against her cool skin, searching for relief. "Wanna sleep. Will you sleep with me?"

"Maybe we should have left him in the infirmary," Eli suggested, glancing back in the direction from which they'd come. It would be a shorter distance to return him to TJ's care than it would to continue to the doctor's quarters. And the sooner he was quit of Rush's out of character behavior, the better. He could deal with the sniping, snarling, sneering abrasiveness or even the cool disdain and outright mocking, but this was a side of the scientist he had hoped _never_ to see.

Belle snorted as she pushed against Rush's shoulders and got him back to an upright position so Eli could grab his right arm. "Yes, Nicholas, I'll sleep with you," she agree, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He rumbled happily, a silly grin spreading over his face, and snuggled closer to her. As if she'd be able to sleep on Destiny anywhere other than at his side. She wrapped Rush's left arm around her shoulders and looped her hand through his belt, assured that she had a good grip on him before they set off again down the long hallway towards the dome and the corridor that led to their quarters. "Would you really want to see his reaction come morning? I don't think he would take kindly to us abandoning him in the infirmary. It's better we get him to his own bed."

Rush's head lolled to the right, landing on Eli's shoulder. He slowly turned to look at the boy and jerked upright, stiffening in affront. "Eli! Why aren't you working!?" he snarled in a brief moment of clarity.

"Um…I…ah," Eli stammered under the full weight of Rush's patented death glare. "Would you believe I'm on my way there now?"

Belle huffed a light laugh. "Nicholas, leave Eli alone."

Rush swung his head around to Belle, a devilish smirk transforming his mouth as he regarded her through half hooded eyes. "Belle…need coffee. Work…coffee," he mumbled, his head dropping to her shoulder again. "…love you…my Belle…_mo chroí_."

Eli coughed loudly, quickening his pace as a blush crept up his neck and continued all the way up to his hairline. Thankfully, that was the last Rush said until the door of his quarters slid open and Eli could relieve his burden into Belle's capable hands. The doctor flopped back on the mattress, his feet still planted on the floor as Belle turned to Eli.

"Thank you, so much…truly, Eli. I do appreciate it," she said, raising up on the balls of her feet to kiss his cheek. "You're a good friend."

Eli dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand before burying them both in the pockets of his jacket. "Hey, anytime. I…yeah…think I'm just gonna go," he said, backing awkwardly to the door. "Really tired."

"TJ said the serum would make you sleepy. At least it didn't put us all into a coma as it did to Scott on the recording. If you can't make it back to your quarters, there are any number of rooms you can choose on this side of the ship," Belle offered. "I wouldn't want you passing out in the hallway on your way back to your own."

"No, I'm good. See you tomorrow."

Belle's shoulders drooped as the door whooshed shut, raking a hand over her braid and brushing its loose strands away from her face. She gazed down at Rush as a little snore slipped past his lips. "And I guess you're not going to be any help, are you, darling?" she muttered with a roll of her eyes as she knelt at his feet and pulled his boots and socks from his feet. He barely stirred as she made quick work of the rest of his clothes, leaving him clad only in his boxers before tucking him beneath the cool sheets.

She stripped out of her fatigues and reached for the first thing available lying in a neat pile of freshly laundered clothes. She pulled Rush's white button down on and methodically fastened it before she slipped into the bed. She hadn't sleep apart from him since they'd come aboard Destiny and she wasn't about to start now. Her head barely had time to settle on the pillow before he was gravitating towards her.

Belle opened her arms to him, his head pillowed on her shoulder as he pulled her tightly against him to be cocooned in the other's embrace. He mumbled incoherently as she carded her fingers in his hair, scratching her nails lightly against his scalp. If he didn't have a headache bordering on the worst hangover he'd ever had, she'd be surprised. She could feel a pleasant lassitude settle in her limbs, but the serum hadn't affected her mind.

She stared up at the ceiling, her wide cerulean eyes burning with unshed tears. She didn't want Rush to wake and find her weeping. It would open herself up for too many questions for which she didn't have answers.

_I will always protect you, my darling Belle. If it is within my power, no harm will ever come to you…_

A tear slid from the corner of her eye and she hastily brushed it away. She thought she'd cried all the tears she possibly could before dragging herself off the floor in Eli's quarters. How could Gold have done this to her? _Dead is dead…_ how many times had she heard him say that to those who'd begged for his help? She'd seen it herself on the recording…she was dead. There had been a gaping hole of torn and mangled flesh between her shoulder blades. HOW?!

She forced herself to calm as she felt Rush shift restlessly. Even after several deep breaths, her heart was still racing. _Stop being such a goose and think!_ she scolded herself. She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing on remembering things she'd read in her sorcerer's vast library, large magical tomes he'd forbidden her to read. She'd happily disobeyed him then in an effort to understand him better. If he were going to remain content to shut himself off from her, she had needed to find a way to know him somehow and what better way than through books he'd studied, some even he'd written himself.

Rumpelstiltskin had been the most powerful sorcerer in the known realms. It should have come as no surprise that when he said he would protect her always, and he'd been steadfast in his vow. Spells, potions, charms, recipes for cordials all danced through her never ending memories. Bits and pieces, certainly, faded with time, but there nonetheless. Her frantic heartbeat slowed as the fragments of her dilemma seemed to finally fit together like pieces of a jigsaw.

She fingered the tea cup pendant about her throat and couldn't help but wonder what price he'd had to pay for the magic he'd imbued upon it. Without a doubt, his healing magic had gone into it. There was no other explanation for the way her skin had knit back together so seamlessly. Thinking back over the time she'd been apart from him, she remembered another time shortly after she'd begun working for Rush. In her clumsiness, she'd tripped on the stairs leading out of the auditorium style classroom and fallen due to her innate clumsiness. A broken wrist and a sprained ankle had been minor in comparison to the broken neck she could have suffered.

A frown settled between her brows as she continued to draw her fingers through the silky strands of Rush's hair as he slept. She'd paid little heed to her ankle, having too much work to do to worry about a minor injury. And her wrist had been plastered, so at the time she'd put it out of her mind as well. The doctor had proclaimed her healed in a matter of six weeks and she had full mobility as if the accident had never occurred. Now she had to wonder if maybe she'd healed faster than any of them had previously thought. What of the injury she'd sustained in their mad dash to board Destiny? Surely…

She lifted her hand to her temple and pressed her fingers to her cool skin. Had it too healed sooner than it should have? Had the protective charm in her pendant saved her from a serious concussion or memory loss or a myriad of other things inherent with a head injury? It still didn't explain what she'd seen. Even his magic wouldn't have been able to heal a corpse. It was impossible…unless…

Could the pendant also hold some form of magic that would preserve her an inch from death until the healing properties had a chance to piece her back together? What if she'd lost a limb? There had to be a limit as to what his power could accomplish and she wasn't quite crazy enough to damage herself to force the experiment. She could go quite mad trying to piece together the complexities of what he'd done to her pendant. She groaned. There was one person she could ask, but just as quickly as the thought entered her head, she pushed it away. She'd happily set herself on fire before she ever asked Regina for help.

Her former true love had vowed to protect her and even in death he'd kept his promise. He'd even gone so far as to charm the necklace to prevent it from being removed. In the ten years since she'd received it, she hadn't even tried…until tonight. She doubted even a pair of bolt cutters would do the job. She would just have to learn to deal with the ramifications of such a powerful magical object and learn to live with it…and pray no one _ever_ learned her secret. Otherwise she'd be strapped to a steel slab and forced to be someone's guinea pig. She was certain Rumpelstiltskin would _not_ be happy.

And what of Rush? On the recording, he'd professed to love her…and that wasn't a conversation she was looking forward to having. Would he still love her despite her differences? It's not like it was her fault. Would he shun her? No, it was best if she didn't tell him. She'd already had to explain her past without dragging magic, fairies, evil witches and the like into the equation. He'd think her certifiably insane.

This would be just another closely guarded secret to add to the many she already held buried deep inside her. She couldn't lose him too. After Storybrooke, he was the only person she'd ever let get close to her, the only person she'd allowed herself to trust.

Now he was all she had and she wouldn't give him up without a fight.

It had been so long since she'd been happy and he was a great part of that happiness. No, she'd bury her secret in the vault with the rest and carry on as she always had. This would change nothing. _Oh, who am I kidding?_

X*X*X*X*X

The merciless pounding in his head, most of it centered behind his closed lids, made Rush groan and clasp his pillow more closely to his face. At least until his pillow grumbled softly in her sleep. It was then that the rest of his senses kicked in as he pried his eyes open. His Belle, he thought, smiling against her skin as he dropped a soft kiss between her breasts revealed by the open collar of her…_his_…shirt.

Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, holding him close even in her sleep and it was easy for her hands to find his nape to knead at the tense knots hiding beneath his flesh. He groaned again, unable to enjoy the full experience of her talented fingers due to his headache. "What time is it?" he asked, the raspy croak of his voice sounding foreign to his ears.

Belle lifted her left arm and squinted at the lighted dial of her watch. "A little after six," she whispered. "We don't have to be on shift for another hour and a half. How are you feeling?"

"My head feels like someone has tried to cleave it in two," he said as he pressed his brow to her collarbone.

"I still have half a bottle of Advil. Let me up and I'll get some for you," she offered, carding her fingers through his hair as her fingers continued to knead all the right pressure points to bring him relief. He wanted nothing more than to lie there and let her soothe him, but the pounding was nigh unbearable.

He rolled onto his back, releasing her from his embrace and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, cursing softly. "What the hell did Lt Johansen put in that serum?"

Belle sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, searching blindly through the drawer on the nightstand for her bottle of pain relievers. She shook three out into her palm and held them out to him, along with a cup of water. He took them without complaint and dropped back onto the bed, holding his arms open for her to return to them.

"How'd I get here, by the way?" he asked when she'd settled back into his embrace, her head pillowed on his shoulder. "The last thing I remember was you charging into the infirmary and stabbing me in the neck with the inoculation gun."

"Um…well…" she hedged, burying her face against his bare chest so he wouldn't see the smile lingering about her lips.

He groaned. "Please tell me I didn't embarrass myself again like I did when I had my breakdown."

"No, no," she assured him amidst a barrage of giggles. "It's really not that bad. You…ah…you just pretty much wrapped your arms around my legs and went to sleep against my stomach."

"What?" he asked, a pained expression curling his thin lips and creasing his brow.

"Spencer was the only one to comment, but Greer put an end to that rather quickly," she teased. "You didn't say anything really embarrassing until we got out into the corridor. So, if Eli is a little more uncomfortable around you this morning than usual, don't pay any attention to it."

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wonderful. How bad was it?"

Belle bit her lip and grinned up at him. "It wasn't…I promise," she assured him.

"You were a bit incoherent…and drugged, so you can't be held responsible for what you said." He pursed his lips in displeasure and she giggled, leaning forward to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

His brows mashed together over his troubled eyes as the blue FTL lights streaming through the porthole illuminated her face with its dim glow. He reached out, running one long finger over her cheek, tracing the thin salt trail left by tears, scratching gently with his nail. "You've been crying. Why've you been crying, Belle?"

"It's nothing, Nicholas, really," she said, pushing his hand away. "It was just stress and hormones and…that's all."

Rush brushed a curl behind her ear and tilted her chin up so he could see her more clearly without her face so cast in shadow. Her excuses were clearly a dodge, the telltale signs more than evident in the way she bit her lip and averted her gaze. He'd seen it too many times in the past when he got a bit too close or brought up a subject of which she had no desire to discuss. "Tell me what's wrong, love," he said softly, closing the distance between them to press a kiss to her lips.

"I promise, Nicholas. It's nothing to cause concern," she said, unable to hide the slight tremor in her voice.

"I know when something's troubling you, Belle. I know _you_," he insisted. His heart fell somewhere in the region of his knees. "Does your distress have anything to do with what you saw on the Kino footage yesterday? Belle, I—

She pressed her fingers to his lips. "It's ok, Nicholas. People say things like that in the heat of the moment. You…well, the Rush on the recording…he was afraid and thought we were going to die and—"

"What if it was true?" he asked, cutting her off.

Belle looked down into his dark sable gaze and sucked in a sharp breath. She'd never seen him look quite so vulnerable, not even after he'd lost his wife, and she could feel the panic beginning to well up in her chest. She didn't want him to love her. Their situation on Destiny was so precarious, she knew if he loved her it would just be more difficult to lose him should some catastrophe befall them.

"Nicholas," she began, searching desperately for something to say to him. "It's enough that we care for each other, isn't it? That we enjoying working together and just being with each other?" She lifted his left hand and kissed his knuckles above the ring resting on his fourth finger. "You're still wearing your ring. And don't you for one moment think I would ask you to give that up," she said, quick to reassure him. "But do you really think we're ready to love each other?"

Rush sighed wearily, realizing she was running again. She was forever running, hiding, trying to escape her heart. At least this time, they were trapped on Destiny and she couldn't let her fears drive her to pick a different part of the country…or the world for that matter…to hide in. "Belle, I do lo—"

She didn't give him a chance to finish, leaning down and slanting her lips over his in a lingering kiss meant to distract him. He opened his mouth to protest, but the words never made it past his lips as her tongue delved past his teeth to explore. She caught his moan on a whisper of breath and she melted into him, reveling in his taste as her tongue skimmed over his teeth and the roof of his mouth, seeking out every part that would bring him pleasure.

"Can't we just enjoy each other, Nicholas? See where it goes from there?" she pleaded as she nipped lightly at his lower lip. "I care for you so much…can't that be enough for now?" She couldn't let herself believe in the fairytale again. She'd promised Rumpelstiltskin forever and he'd left her, sacrificed himself to save her and Bae. She knew when it came to love, it was fleeting. If she lived for the moment and didn't put her hope into a future that may or may not happen, she could protect herself from the damning despair that would dig a gaping hole in her chest should she lose him.

His arms came about her waist as she straddled his hips and he groaned as she ground down on his burgeoning erection. He watched her closely, feeling the wall around her heart as if it were a tangible thing, preventing him from reaching her. He'd loved her for so long, it was almost a physical pain to have her reject his feelings out of hand. He would have to continue to chip away at the barrier she'd erected to protect herself, continue to show her how sincere he was and hope that eventually she'd let him in completely.

Rush nodded slowly, acquiescing to her pleas without need for words and she sighed happily, the lines of stress easing around her eyes and mouth as she kissed him again. Her hands splayed across his bare chest, her nails scratching lightly against his flat nipples and he couldn't help bucking against her. He could feel her smile against his skin as her lips trailed over his collarbone, lavishing it with her attention. It wasn't the first time over the last several days they'd woken to explore each other, but she'd never been quite so fervent in her desire.

"Belle…what," he gasped as her hands slid up his chest and into his hair, tilting his head to the right as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. His cock twitched against her and he had to bite down on his lip to stop himself from crying out as her tongue swirled beneath his ear. "W-We still have…have one more…day," he panted as she ground her hips down with more force.

"Shh, Nicholas. Just let me touch you," she whispered against the shell of his ear as her hands tightened in his hair. She moaned as his hands slipped beneath her shirt to knead gently at her lower back and over the rounded curve of her ass, the sound vibrating pleasantly against his flesh as she bit the tendon where his neck met his shoulder. Her tongue laved the bite as she sucked his skin into her mouth with more force than necessary, determined to mark him. She didn't give a damn who might see the mark. He was hers to claim, hers to mark, and she was proud to have him as her lover. Let Young take his fraternization rules and stick them up his ass!

A growl of primal need rumbled deep in his chest as he arched beneath her, his hands restless as they sought out every inch of skin already bared to him. She sat up to look down at him, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. He was thin and wiry and…beautiful. His eyes were dark with need, his pupils blown wide with his desire; his hair tousled on the pillow and his lips parted, his breath rushing past them under the weight of his passion. She ran the flat of her palm down his chest and over the smooth plane of his stomach, reveling in the fact that she had every right to do so.

His hands clasped her hips tightly as he arched into her touch. "Belle, we…what…" he rasped out, clenching his teeth as she pressed her soft lips to his protruding hip bone and trailed kisses to his navel. "Belle, I can wait…we can wait-_fuckkkk…"_ She reached between them and cupped him through his boxers and he nearly unseated her, his hips bucking and his head thrashing back and forth on the pillow. "Nevermind," he panted. "Whatever you want, _mo ghrá."_

"My Nicholas," she murmured as she left tiny bites along the skin at the waistband of his boxers. "Are you mine, darling?" she purred silkily. "Do you want to be mine?" She looped her thumbs in the elastic and pushed it down over his hips to rest somewhere around his knees. _Gods, how long has it been since he's had anyone touch him like this? _she thought bitterly. Everyone he knew treated him with no regard for his feelings, so it was no wonder that he shied away from physical contact. She vowed then to not let a day go by without showing him, in even the smallest way, how much she cherished her time with him.

A soft whimper escaped him as she raked her nails along the sensitive flesh of his inner thighs. "Yours, Belle…yours…" he groaned. Her lips followed the path of her hands as she rained soft open mouthed kisses over the prize she'd revealed. She bit her lip as she wrapped her hand around his throbbing shaft and looked up briefly to meet his gaze.

The imperturbable Dr. Nicholas Rush looked totally wrecked and she grinned wickedly at the thought that she was responsible. She rubbed her thumb over the glistening moisture at the head as she ran the flat of her tongue along his length. His hands fisted in the sheets beneath him as he threw back his head with a keening moan.

When she took him fully into her mouth, he stopped breathing and she was forced to stop and make sure he was alright, rubbing her hand over his belly until he sucked in a sharp breath.

She continued to soothe him as she pressed a soft kiss to the head of his cock and drew him back firmly between her lips, her tongue sliding sinuously over the satiny softness encasing the steel core. She took his right hand and guided it to her hair, which he resisted. "D-Don't want to h-hurt you," he lamented.

Belle let go of him with a soft pop and met his eyes, her grip firm on his hand. "You won't, Nicholas. I _want_ you to touch me," she crooned softly, her voice a caress to his over-sensitized nerves. It was her turn to moan as his long fingers wound through the soft strands of her hair, his blunt nails scratching lightly against her scalp.

She took him into her mouth again as she wrapped her small hand around his base, bobbing slowly as she stroked him, trying to prolong his pleasure for as long as possible. He jerked violently, a shiver running through his entire body as she took more of his length, the head bumping gently against the back of her throat. She glanced up at him as with every upward stroke she swirled her tongue over his tip, the tendons in his neck standing out in sharp relief as he tried to hold onto his fragile control. She quickened her pace and she could feel his hold on her hair tightening reflexively as he fought against his desire to thrust.

"Belle, please, love…I can't…I'm going to…" he gasped, his other hand slipping into her unbound hair to pull her away.

She cupped his balls in her other hand and caressed him with a light touch, pressing them up to the base of his cock, releasing him for just a moment. "Let go, Nicholas. Come for me, darling," she said, taking him as deeply into her mouth as he could go. She sucked hard at him, humming her own pleasure, the vibration radiating to his every pore and he howled as he thrust upward into the heat and softness of her mouth. He came with a cry of her name, spilling his seed between her lips in thick spurts, his entire body quivering with pleasure as she continued to lave him with her tongue until he lay boneless beneath her.

Belle pressed several soft kisses to his belly before resting her chin on her hand and smiling up at him. She rather enjoyed seeing him in such a mindless state of satiation. He looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him and it pleased her greatly. With the daily stresses they faced, he needed to find something to make him feel good and she was more than willing to fill that role. She squeaked in surprise as he wrapped his hands about her upper arms and hauled her up the length of his body to lie across his chest. Before she could relax into him, he rolled her beneath him and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue slipping in to duel with hers. He groaned at the taste of himself on her tongue.

"You are too wonderful for words, _mo chroí."_ His head dropped wearily to her shoulder and he pressed his face to her neck as his arms tightened about her. "_Is breá liom tú an méid sin, mo Belle," _he breathed reverently as he held her, telling her exactly what was in his heart without having her scold him for the words.

She wrapped her arms about his shoulders and dropped a soft kiss to his temple. "One of these days I'm going to make you tell me what your beautiful words mean, Nicholas," she said, humming softly with contentment as she reveled in his embrace.

He breathed her in and nipped softly at her ear. "Perhaps."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush groaned as he sat up in the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. _What the hell?_ he thought, blinking at the darkened room. Belle wasn't at his side, causing him to frown. Even the sneakers she'd worn yesterday were missing. He remembered her dragging him out of the control interface room around midnight, complaining that he'd work himself into an early grave if he didn't get more sleep, but she'd come with him. He distinctly remembered her warmth spooned up against his back last night, but he'd grown accustomed to waking beside her as well.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and raked a hand through his shaggy brown hair, reaching the other out to his radio on the nightstand. "Belle," he croaked into the device, his voice raspy with the last dregs of sleep. "What is your location?"

"A deck," she replied, her breathing labored.

Rush glowered at the radio. "What, may I ask, are you doing?" He glanced down at his watch to see it was only seven thirty.

"Running. The colonel wants everyone in shape so Chloe and I convinced Eli he'd be better off exercising with the two of us rather than the marines," she said with a breathy laugh.

He could hear the boy wheezing loudly and could imagine Eli wasn't at all happy with the new turn of events. He wasn't very happy either. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you needed to sleep, and it's not like you would've joined us for a run," she said in a dry tone as if that should have been obvious.

He snorted. "Indeed not. What is your schedule this morning?"

"I'm helping Eli with the data from Telford's experiment. HWC is badgering Young and we need to run the numbers a few more times before his meeting with O'Neil," she explained. "I should be able to join you in the control room before lunch, though."

He sighed, not looking forward to a morning spent working without her at his side. "Alright."

"And Nicholas…Dale is going to be on shift with you this morning. Try to be nice," she cajoled.

He could hear the smile in her voice and felt the corners of his own mouth lift as well. "No promises. Rush out."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle grinned at Eli as he collapsed against the railing, on the balcony in the gate room, breathing heavily. Chloe leaned in next to him and rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Wow! Eli, have you _never_ gone running before?" the senator's daughter asked with a chuckle.

"Um…NO!" he wheezed. "I'm more of a sit-in-front-of-the-computer type of guy."

"Which is where you should be now," Colonel Young snarked as he stepped out onto the balcony to survey the marines and civilians alike participating in the calisthenics below. "I want that data as soon as possible."

Belle bit back an angry retort and ignored the man, choosing to focus on the activities below and Spencer's sneering voice as he belittled the civilians who struggled to keep up with his sharp commands. "Why is that man in charge of this?" she asked angrily, whirling to face Young as she watched Franklin empty the contents of his stomach on the gate room floor. "He's a brute on an ego trip. Not to mention his tendencies for violence."

Young rocked back on his heels, frowning down at Rush's petite assistant. "Scott was going to handle this, but he's using the stones to visit his family."

"Well," she snarked, her brows rising in disapproval. "Might I point out that this is an epic fail? You cannot expect the civilians to immediately conform to the same standards of discipline as the military personnel. They weren't trained for your rigorous program, nor did they go through boot camp. _And_ it should be _their_ choice whether or not they want to participate."

"Hey!" Eli protested. "You guys didn't give _me_ a choice when you dragged me out of bed this morning."

"Shut up, Eli!" Both Chloe and Belle snapped in unison.

Everett's brows rose as he huffed a short laugh. "And I suppose you could do better, Miss French? Or you, Miss Armstrong?" he asked dubiously as a plan began to form in his mind.

"I'm sure we could do better than Spencer," Belle retorted, never having liked the sergeant. "He's cruel and no one should be subjected to his beastliness."

"Belle," Chloe murmured in an aside, worried over what her friend was getting her into. "Should you—"

"Very well, Miss French," Young said with a calculating smile. "Three days a week, you are to incorporate an exercise program for civilian _and_ military personnel."

"Now wait just a minute. I'd have to talk to Rush about—"

"You seem to forget, Miss French. This is my command. You may work for Dr. Rush, but you need to remember that ultimately you answer to me," he said, asserting his authority. He nodded at Chloe in parting, shooting over his shoulder, "Have fun, ladies."

"Crap," Chloe groaned.

Eli laughed softly and then quickly squelched the sound as Belle glared at him. "Sorry."

"Contemptible bastard!" Belle hissed. "And don't think this lets you off the hook either, Eli."

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest. "So…what are we going to do?"

Belle sighed. "Well, provided Nicholas doesn't come to blows with Young over this, I think I have an idea of how to make this fun. Young expects us to fail and we're going to prove him wrong."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush raked a hand through his hair and then pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing the pressure behind his eyes would relent and let him work in peace. He entered more of his equations into his laptop and then consulted the data on his console, making certain he'd entered it correctly. Where was Belle? He glanced down at his watch and shook his head. It was eleven thirty and she still hadn't made it to the control room.

Brody and Volker spoke in quiet tones across the room as they hunched over a console, and Rush could only wonder what had them so enraptured. He was more than certain, by their grins, they weren't working. "What, might I ask, is so fascinating?" he asked in a dry tone as he arched a questioning brow at the two.

Volker flushed a bright red, the color clashing with his ginger hair. "Nothing," he said quickly, entering the commands to banish his present screen.

"I'm sure it wasn't _nothing_, judging by your reactions," Rush sneered as he rose from his console and stalked across the room. The two men backed away sheepishly as he approached and entered the commands on the keyboard to bring up the previous screen. His brows scrunched together as he realized it was Kino footage of the gate room.

"Why would you waste time—"

He inhaled sharply as the Kino zoomed in on Belle, clad only in her yoga pants, sports bra and sneakers, leading a group in a rather vigorous aerobics routine. _What the fucking hell?_ _She blew off working for this?_ He wasn't even aware of the growl that erupted from his chest as he switched off the console and headed for the door. He encountered no one in the corridors, thankfully, and those he did took one look at his glowering countenance and gave him a wide berth.

Rush emerged on the balcony to find Young and Greer overlooking the proceedings, and he was tempted to cover his ears as the ship's hidden speakers blasted _Livin' La Vida Loca_. Sometimes he had to wonder over her taste in music…if it could even be called that.

"Rush!" Young called, grabbing the man's arm as started towards the stairs. "Don't do it, Rush."

The doctor shook him off, his lips curled over his lip in a snarl. "She's making a spectacle of herself!" he hissed, not really caring whether or not his voice could be heard over the music. "And who the hell is commandeering the Kino that's recording

this?!" He wanted to know who to kill.

"Come on, Doc, look at her," Greer said, nodding to Belle. "She's got the entire crew participating. They're laughing and enjoying themselves. Before she stepped up and took over, they were plotting a mutiny."

"Beside the point!" Rush snapped. He knew better than anyone what a boost his little assistant could be for morale. She'd always been able to coax him out of a temper with a mere smile. By turning the exercise program into something fun, it could only save the colonel and his officers from a myriad of troubles. However, he would not let Young turn her into his own personal cruise director.

Young groaned as he watched Rush stalk angrily down the stairs. "This doesn't bode well," he said to Greer who only chuckled and shook his head.

"Alright, pick it up," Belle called, her hips twitching in time with the beat as she focused her attention on the steps of her hastily made routine. She was more than pleased to see the crew enjoying themselves. Even Spencer, with his perpetual surliness, had been seen smiling as he followed her steps. She hadn't felt this good in ages, having missed her daily runs around Icarus and before that on the campus at Berkeley.

The song changed and she easily flowed into the next phase of her routine, but the crew was slowly coming to a standstill, their focus coming to rest on something over her left shoulder. The hairs on her nape stood up at attention and her skin prickled with awareness. Without even turning, she _knew_ it wasn't invading aliens. That could only mean…

Belle turned to Chloe, who was manning the Kino remote…they'd decided to allow Eli to document their first session for his documentary…and called her over. "Bring them through a cool down and then dismiss them," she ordered, smiling at the girl, the faint quirk of her lips betraying her nervousness.

Chloe simply nodded and picked up where Belle had left off as the shorter woman turned to face Rush. He was holding out her cardigan, ready for her to slip her arms into the sleeves. He said not a word as the soft gray material settled over her shoulders. Belle squeaked as he reached for her hand, his grip vise-like, and literally dragged her from the gate room.

"I can explain, y'know," she said softly as the music faded the farther they moved along the corridor. He simply held up a finger for silence, his jaw clenched and the muscle ticking away dangerously in his cheek. "Can I at least ask where we're going? I need to take a shower before I meet up with Eli to work on the data Telford's scientist's col—"

He pulled on her hand, bringing her to an abrupt halt at his side. "You were supposed to be working with me, Belle. I do believe that's why you are drawing a paycheck, is it not?" he hissed furiously and Belle gasped at the heat radiating from his dark eyes. "I've got half a notepad filled with calculations that need to be entered and logged into the database…work you're supposed to be doing so I can focus on trying to unlock the master systems of this ship."

"Nicholas—"

"And where do I find you? In the gate room indulging in frivolity when your talents are needed elsewhere. In the meantime I've got Young breathing down my neck with his idiocy about dialing the gate and those two idiots I'm forced to work with ogling _my_ girlfriend on a Kino recording!"

Belle gasped at the comfortable use of the word _girlfriend._ He was jealous. Jealous of the time she had devoted to others and jealous of her friends watching her on the recording. Her heart fluttered, warmth spreading through her chest as she tugged her hand free and wrapped her arms about his waist.

"I'm sorry," she said, twining her fingers with his as she kissed his cheek and urged him on towards the control room. "I really didn't mean to get sidetracked this morning and neglect my work. Young was being a complete ass, however; yes, I know, not surprising. Of course, Chloe and I had to set out to prove him wrong, and with the success of our little endeavor…we succeeded."

He pinned her with a pointed stare as they entered the control room. "I just thought this mission was more important to you."

"You know it is!"

Rush glanced up to find Brody and Volker hunched over the console, trying to pretend they weren't hanging on their every word. "Out! Now!" he growled as Belle huffed an exasperated sigh and waited for the room to clear.

"You know how much I care about this mission, Nicholas. But according to that jerk in command, I don't have a choice in the matter. Actually, I'm quite stunned that he hasn't tried to separate us permanently since our relationship is common knowledge amongst the crew."

She could have smacked herself the moment the words left her mouth as his brows drew together in a worried frown and his dark sable eyes filled with insecurity. He turned to his console, his hair falling over his eyes as he looked down at the data on the screen, trying to hide what she'd already seen. "Are you regretting your decision to be with me?" he asked, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. "Would you have rathered the crew didn't find out about our relationship?"

"Oh, Nicholas, no," she insisted, her features softening dramatically as she stepped to his side and cupped his cheek in her hand. "You know I want to be with you." She brushed her lips to his and sighed happily as his arms slipped around her waist to pull her close. "More than anything. I should have talked to you this morning about what was happening. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to keep apologizing, Belle, but I need you here. I suppose I'll have to speak to the colonel about your duties and make him understand your role on Destiny," he said, his jaw clenching with suppressed anger at the thought of the man trying to focus Belle's energies elsewhere.

"Just let me grab a quick shower and I'll get right to work, ok? I can perhaps get with Eli this evening after my shift or—"

"No, do what needs to be done, because," he murmured huskily against the shell of her ear. "When your shift is done, you belong solely to me."

Belle shivered and curled into his embrace as he kissed her gently and nipped at her lower lip. "Completely," she agreed.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle sat back and scrubbed her hands over her face as the console flashed another red FAIL. It was the fifth failed scenario in three hours and she was getting antsy, the need to move overwhelming. "The data is sound, Eli," she said gently, reaching out to rub the boy's tense shoulder. "However, Destiny is just not capable of dialing the gate. There just isn't enough power."

"But if we can channel the star's energy directly into the gate, it should work," he interjected with a desperate pleading look in his eyes.

She shook her head. "As it is now, when we enter a star and the ship refuels, per se, we're not charging to one hundred percent…you know this, Eli. As desperate as the IOA, HWC and Telford himself are to get us home so they can send their own team, it's not going to work until we can operate on full capacity and with a full working knowledge of _all_ of Destiny's systems."

"And without the core systems on line we're pretty well screwed," he huffed indignantly, tossing his pencil at the console.

She sighed, her lips curling slightly. "Look, take a break. We'll try again tomorrow. I know it can't be easy with the colonel breathing down your neck. I'll back this up on your laptop, ok?"

Eli sat back in his chair and let out an enormous yawn. Partway through it, Rush's voice sounded over the radio. "Eli."

The boy lifted the radio, still yawning, his voice muffled with fatigue. "Yo."

"We've managed to secure two more sections of the ship. I'm sending a team in to take a look. I need you to operate the Kino for me," the lead scientist said. Belle could hear the tiredness in his voice and she groaned. She doubted without her there working with him that he'd bothered to take a break for lunch.

"Kinda busy here."

"Doing what?" Rush asked, affronted by his protégé's unwillingness to help.

"Belle and I are working on something for the colonel," he answered somewhat reluctantly.

"Eli, do me a favor," Rush snarked impatiently. "Have a look at your chest. Is there any insignia there…anything that says lieutenant or sergeant or anything like that?"

Belle muffled a giggle as she finished up with her task of transferring all the data to Eli's flash. She returned to the home screen and frowned, one of the icons flashing insistently. Shrugging, she clicked on the icon and pulled up the program that was running in the background, a cold shiver quickly racing up her spine.

Eli, rolled his eyes, not paying attention to what Belle was doing. "No, all I've got is 'You are here'," he replied, looking down briefly at his red tee.

"Exactly," Rush hissed. "You know what, don't bother. I'll manage."

"UGH! What is his problem!?" he growled in frustration, tossing the radio onto the bed behind him. He froze as Belle skimmed through the numerous recordings of downloaded Kino footage on his hard drive, wincing as she turned her angry cerulean gaze on him. "Belle…um…I can explain…I—"

"There's really no need, is there, _dearie_?" she asked in a deceptively calm tone as she rose to her feet to stare down at who she thought was her friend. Anyone who didn't know her well would say she was the epitome of calm dignity…those who did would know she was flaming mad and an inch away from unleashing her wrath upon the masses in a fiery display of temper. "You're _spying_ on Nicholas. Did Young order you to do this? Because I simply will not believe you'd want this for your documentary."

"Belle," he groaned. "He doesn't trust Dr. Rush and he feels that—"

"And now _I _can't trust _you!"_ Belle pointed her finger in the center of his chest as he stood up, not appreciating the height advantage he had on her, but she refused to back down without having her say. "To think that I asked Nicholas to go easy on you, to work _with_ you rather than against you." She picked up her radio from the console and clipped it to her belt before turning on her heel with a bitter laugh. "Y'know, Eli, I always try to give people a chance, thinking if I don't perhaps I'll never get to know who they really are. And always I'm disappointed."

She left without a word and she was still in a right fit state of temper when she barged into the control room to take her place at Rush's side at his console. "Belle, love, what's wrong?" he asked, regarding her through narrowed eyes. She was practically vibrating with tension.

"It's nothing," she said, brushing off his concern, but he'd have none of it as he took both of her hands in his and made her look at him. "I can't tell you now. It's a discussion better left for later when we're assured of our privacy." She glanced down at the console to see the Kino feed of Greer and his team searching out the newly unexplored section of the ship. "What are we doing?"

He gestured to the console where the Kino he was manning from the control room followed after Greer and two of his men as they searched through the unfamiliar corridors. "So far all they've found is more quarters, but they've barely begun."

Belle smiled at TJ as she entered the room and dropped down on one of the benches that lined the wall. "Hey, what's wrong, Tamara?" she asked, leaving Rush to his work as she went to sit beside her friend. She lowered her voice so only the blonde could hear. "Have you been arguing with Everett again?"

TJ dropped her head into her hands and let them slide down over her face until they came to rest over her mouth. She shook her head slightly and turned to look at Belle. "No, nothing like that. We don't argue…we don't even talk anymore. I just…" she let her voice trail away, not wishing to discuss her relationship with the colonel. "I just don't know anymore. I guess I'm just tired."

Belle reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "We missed you this morning. I'm sure you heard about Young's newest dictate for the crew to get in shape."

TJ chuckled. "Yeah, I heard you and Chloe were quite the success with your new program. I wish I could say the same for my project."

"Oh? What project? Anything I might be able to help with?" she asked, more than willing to lift her friend's spirits.

"Belle…" Rush growled, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation.

She ignored him. TJ glanced between the two, torn as to whether or not she wanted to say anything, but relented when Belle nodded persistently. "The colonel wants me to do psych evals on the crew and so far it's not really going well," she said dejectedly. "I've got eight done so far, but no one seems to be comfortable talking to me."

"I'm surprised he didn't ask Camille. She has a doctorate doesn't she?"

"He wants me to do it, though I don't know how successful I'll be in completing this task if I can't get more people to sit down and talk to me." She cast large hopeful eyes over at Belle. "You wouldn't be willing to spare me a little time for yours would you?"

Belle failed at hiding her chagrin, biting her lower lip in nervous agitation. Considering her previous history with psychiatrists, she had no desire whatsoever to sit down and talk about her feelings. Yet, how could she deny her friend's request when she was in need of help. "I…I guess, but I can only spare about thirty minutes or so. I'm behind on my work and…"

Rush gave her a tender smile over his shoulder. "Thirty minutes is adequate, Belle. It's fine as long as you keep your radio on so I can reach you if I need you."

It was only a short walk to TJ's office off the infirmary, but she felt as though she were being led to the gallows. Belle dropped down onto the sofa and she had to smile at the delicious pull of her muscles from a morning well spent in physical exertion. She'd missed it more than she'd thought. To be respectful of TJ and the role she was having to fill as the ship's psychiatrist, she turned her radio down low enough so it wouldn't interrupt, but loud enough to hear should Rush call for her.

TJ set a notepad on her lap and leaned back in her chair, smiling reassuringly as she hoped talking with Belle would be easier than her previous evaluations with some of the crew. "Just relax, Belle."

Belle tucked her feet beneath her and tried to get comfortable, smiling a little awkwardly. "Yeah, trying. I don't really feel comfortable talking about myself sometimes…anytime, really," she admitted ruefully as her fingers toyed with a loose thread on the hem of her blue tunic style top.

Her friend returned her smile. "Oh, and why is that?"

Belle's eyes crinkled at the corners, narrowing ever so slightly as she regarded the medic. _And so it begins,_ she thought with a sigh. "Let's just say there are things in my past that make it difficult for me to trust and leave it at that. Next question."

"Ok," TJ said, her pencil scratching furiously against her notepad. When she was done, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to appear relaxed. "So, how are you coping with life on the ship?"

"Seriously?" Belle asked with a dubious arch of her brow, as if it wasn't apparent to one and all how much she adored her life on the ship. "I love Destiny. All the hard work Nicholas and I put in to get us here…it's amazing. There's so much about Destiny to explore, mysteries to be uncovered, new challenges," she said reverently.

TJ looked taken aback. "The lack of food and resources doesn't bother you?"

"Tamara, there are always difficulties to be faced whether here or back on Earth. It's life. We seem to be doing ok for now and I think the more we acclimate ourselves with the situation, the better we'll be equipped to handle it. I have faith in our crew…and Nicholas," she said, a fond smile curling at her lips.

"So you and Dr. Rush…things are getting serious between you two?"

A rosy blush rose to settle in her cheeks. "Nicholas and I are happy together, no matter what our relationship might bring, but yes, we're growing closer."

"And how do you feel about that?" TJ asked as she rested her chin in her palm.

"How do I feel about it," Belle snorted. "Terrified. You didn't know Nicholas after he lost his wife. He was…difficult, you could say, to work with. It was a struggle for both of us, but I—" she looked down at her tightly clasped hands, her brow furrowing. "I had been through a similar situation myself before we met. I could understand the pain he was going through. In a way, we were able to help each other."

TJ cast her a sympathetic smile. "Dr. Rush doesn't seem the type to accept help easily."

Belle chuckled wryly. "Understatement. He was an antisocial, workaholic, cantankerous curmudgeon! It took him quite a while to get used to me being his assistant, but once he did…he's a very special man," she said, a wistful note in her voice.

"You love him," TJ said, stating the obvious.

Belle scrambled to her feet, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "Um…I care about him, but…no. No, I don't love him," she denied.

TJ shot her a dubious look, clearly not believing her friend. "Ok, ok," she said, holding her hands up in surrender. "If you say so."

Belle cast an uneasy look between her friend and the door, chewing nervously at her lower lip. "Well, I'm just going to go. Work to be done and all."

"Belle, you know you can talk to me, right? Not just because of this evaluation, but because I'm your friend. You can trust me."

Belle hugged herself tightly. She remembered others telling her the same over the course of her life…her father, Mary Margaret and Emma, Ruby…she snorted. _Yeah, some friend she was, chaining me to a pipe in the library._ They'd all found some way to be her friend only to turn their backs on her when she needed them. First Gold, once he'd decided to be honest with her and let her fully into his heart and then Nicholas had never disappointed her by turning their backs on her. As much as she valued TJ's friendship, she still couldn't find it within herself to trust her.

"I know, TJ and…thanks."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush rubbed tiredly at the back of his neck as he watched the Kino feed on the console and tried to co-ordinate with Greer over the radio. He watched as the master sergeant stopped in front of another closed door. "Go ahead, sergeant," Rush said, raising the radio closer to his mouth.

Greer activated the door control and shined his light into the room. "More quarters, Dr. Rush."

"Alright," Rush sighed wearily. "Try the next corridor to your left."

Greer did as instructed, Cpl Rivers and Airman Evans following in his wake, weapons drawn. _Really, what did they expect to jump out at them_, Rush though caustically. Greer slapped his hand against the door mechanism and watched it slide open with a whoosh before nodding at his team to enter.

Evans lowered his weapon, gesturing to the center of the large circular room. "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

Rivers rolled his eyes. "Well it would appear to be a chair, Captain Obvious," he snarked.

Greer shone his torch on the chair, a cheerful smile lighting his face. "Hey! Looks like we've found the dentist's office!"

In the control interface room, Rush toggled between the Kino footage and several screens of data he'd been trying to decipher. His eyes narrowed on the screen as Greer pushed a button on the chair and the lights flashed on in the room. On the chair, clamps sprung out into position where if someone were sitting in it, they would trap the person's wrists and ankles to hold them securely in place. At the same time, a device swung over the top of the headrest into a position where it would clamp firmly on the occupant's temples. His mouth fell open with excitement as he pressed the com button on the radio.

"Don't touch _anything!_" he commanded. "Leave it…I'm on my way." He clipped the radio to his belt and hurried from the room, nearly bumping into Belle as she made her way back to the control room.

"Nicholas, what is it?" she asked as he grabbed her hand and spun her back in the direction from which she'd come, turning to the right as they reached the dome room and taking a corridor that had before been off limits. "Where are we going?"

"Your friend found something fascinating," he said, urging her faster along the corridor and into the newly acquired room.

Belle circled around the chair, her eyes alight with curiosity. "What's it do?" she asked, running her hands over the clamps on the arm rests. "Can I sit in it?"

"No."

"But—"

"No," Rush reiterated, moving over the one of the two consoles in the room and switching it on. "You will _not_ be sitting in the chair, Belle."

She stuck her tongue out childishly and moved to his side to see what the new device would mean for them.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle eyed the Colonel with no small amount of irritation as she continued to decipher the Ancient text into Rush's laptop as Nicholas tried to explain to the man what he'd discovered about the chair. She just knew Young wasn't going to be happy about it. He was rarely happy about anything.

"Neural interface?"

Rush leaned an elbow against the console and stroked his long fingers over his stubbled chin. "A precursor to an Ancient device SG-1 discovered several years ago. A repository of knowledge that can be literally downloaded into one's mind," he said thoughtfully, his mind minimally focused on his conversation with Young as the possibilities of the chair weighed heavily upon him.

Young's brows drew together as he studied the chair. "And you think this is one of those things?"

"Within that knowledge may be the master code to unlock the ship's core systems: navigation, propulsion…" he explained.

"You're sure?"

Belle nodded. "Well we can't be certain until Rush lets me sit in the chair, but—"

"Belle, for the last time, you are not sitting in the chair," Rush growled, his dark sable eyes glowing hotly as he turned to give her a reproachful look.

"But, Nicholas, if—"

"No!"

"Enough, you two," the colonel snarled.

Greer pointed the nozzle of his rifle at the pronged headrest. "It looks like it holds you down and shoots bolts into your head."

Rush brushed that off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "These are merely electrodes allowing the transfer of data."

"Do you know what a device like this did to General O'Neil?" Young asked, glaring at Rush.

Belle nodded and saved her work on the laptop before she closed it. "The sheer amount of information overwhelmed him," she answered, having heard the story when she'd first joined the Icarus project and began trying to learn as much as she could about the stargate program.

"It damn near killed him, is what it did!" Young said, glowering fiercely at her.

"Be that as it may," Rush said, trying to focus the colonel's attention away from his assistant. "It led to incredible discoveries."

Young narrowed his gaze on the two scientists. "_And_ it damn near killed him. In fact, the only thing we know for sure is an Ancient device like this is pretty much a death sentence. Nobody sits in this thing." He turned to address Greer, ordering. "I want a guard detail posted."

Rush glowered at him with unmistakable disdain. "So what are we to do, Colonel? Just ignore what this chair can do?"

Young refused to back down, however. "I'm not telling you to ignore it. I'm telling you to study it without sitting in it."

"And what good is that going to do us? We can't even get it to activate without someone sitting—"

"I said no, Miss French, and I will not relent as long as it can't be determined whether or not there is a danger," he said, turning back to Rush.

Rush pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve the pressure behind his eyes. Talking to Young always gave him a headache and now was no different. "Look, Colonel, this pre-dates those found in the Milky Way. I'd be willing to bet the effects are far less severe."

Young walked slowly, steadily towards him, doing his best to intimidate Rush with his height advantage. "Would you bet your own life? Or Miss French's?" he asked, taking supreme satisfaction in the clenching of the doctor's jaw. He knew for a fact, as protective as Rush was of Belle, he'd never risk her, and coward that he was, his own life would never be put in question.

Rush looked away, his eyes focusing on Belle as he weighed his options.

"So you're fine as long as someone else volunteers," Young sneered derisively.

Greer smiled cheekily. "Well, if it means getting these people home, _I'll_ sit in the damned thing."

"Colonel," Rush interrupted, "so far I've only managed to access portions of _Destiny_'s database. We still can't actually control the ship."

"Even if we could turn this thing around right now and head back to Earth, how long would that take?" Young scoffed. "Another million years? Rush, you want this chair to be some kind of wonderful discovery, that's fine. Prove it. You prove we can use it safely to do something we actually need it to do. Until then..." he warned, his voice stern as he made it a direct order, "...no-one goes near."

Rush nodded dejectedly as Young left the room.

Belle rubbed gently at the back of his neck and felt him relax under her gentle touch, her presence soothing him as nothing else could. "Don't let him get to you, Nicholas. We _will_ find a way to make this work," she said confidently. "Now let's get down to business."

X*X*X*X*X

The rest of the science team, Brody, Park and Volker, joined Belle and Rush, immediately setting to work gathering and processing data, clearly excited with the new discovery.

"If someone wants to volunteer to sit in it, why won't he let 'em?" Brody asked, his gaze swinging to each member of the team.

Lisa looked up from the console and shrugged. "He's just trying to protect us."

"He's trying to dictate to us about things he has no knowledge…as usual," Belle mumbled under her breath as she ran a diagnostic on the chair. "He's a meddling, interfering bas—"

"Belle," Rush hissed quietly under his breath.

"Oh, please!" Brody snorted. "If he's trying to protect anything, it's his command."

Volker's pencil scratched to a halt on his notepad as he looked up to meet Brody's agitated gaze. "It's politics. He resists at first, comes round eventually, gives it the green light and if it works, he's the big hero, and if it doesn't, well…" He looked over at Rush who stood at the console quietly working. "…you get to take the blame."

Rush looked up with a closed off expression, bottling his dislike for the colonel behind a mask of cold indifference. "Yes."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush walked along the corridor, fiddling with his broken glasses. He really needed to remember to grab his spare pair from his quarters, but with all the distractions…namely his warm and oh so desirable Belle…he kept forgetting.

TJ came out of the infirmary as he passed on his way to the chair interface room, a notepad clasped tightly to her chest. "Hey, Dr. Rush. You got a sec?"

Rush didn't look up at her, neither did he slow. "No," he said in a clipped tone, certain he knew what she had on her mind.

"I'm doing psych evaluations for the entire crew," she pressed, ignoring his short reply.

"No thank you," he sighed, trying to be polite for Belle's sake.

"Colonel Young ordered them. It's just a talk, see how you're doing, give you a chance to voice any problems or frustrations," she continued as if he hadn't already rejected her twice.

Rush hurried his step and stepped over the threshold of the neural chair interface room before turning back to her. "Well, I'm fine. No problems, no complaints. Is that it?" He smiled at her, and not giving her a chance to answer, hit the door mechanism, sealing her out.

TJ sighed and turned on her heel, her shoulders drooping with frustration. "Yeah, guess so."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle huffed out a loud breath, blowing a tendril of hair out of her eyes as she continued to enter data from Rush's notebook into the database while he explained to the colonel and a yawning Eli what he'd found in the ship's computer.

"I've been able to access the sub-space link between Destiny and the unmanned ships that were sent out ahead of her."

Young crossed his arms over his chest, listening attentively. "The ones seeding the stargates on the planets?"

Rush nodded, backing away from the secondary console so Eli could scoot in to have a look. "Yeah. We now have data on literally thousands of gates that have already been seeded. Only managed to get through a fraction of it, but I found something quite interesting."

Eli continued to read the Ancient text on the screen, his mouth falling open in stunned disbelief. "Woah! Almost the same mineral composition as the Icarus planet."

Young looked thoughtful as he mulled over this new information. "How long?"

"One year away," Belle answered automatically as she continued to enter data.

"Naturally occurring naqahdria throughout the planet's crust. Ample for our needs to dial Earth," Rush went on as if Belle beginning his sentence was the most natural

thing in the world.

Eli rolled his eyes, but was too excited to let their eccentricities get to him. "One more year, we can gate back home?"

"Not quite that simple," Belle said, her iolite eyes rather icy as she looked at the boy. She was still quite upset with him for spying on Rush.

"We have to learn how to steer the ship, how to orbit the planet…"

Belle picked it up from there in a dry tone, still not happy about the prospect of returning to Earth. "…not to mention how to make the gate work to dial home from there…"

Rush sighed, crossing one arm over his chest to grip the other. "Yes. As I said, much to be done…" He turned to Young. "…but we will of course need the master code."

Young rubbed a hand over his lower face as he stared at the scientist. "Well, then, you'd better get to work cracking it. Sounds like you've got the better part of a year," he said as he turned to leave the room.

"But the neural interface device—" Rush interjected.

"…is still off limits," Young said, turning back to his adversary. "God! You think I don't know what you're doing here?" He pointed angrily at Rush. "Crack the damned code, Rush. That's your job."

Belle's hands balled into fists at her side, but she somehow managed not to throw the curse, moldering away on her tongue, at the colonel.

X*X*X*X*X

Eli rubbed fitfully at his eyes in an effort to keep them open as he sat at his console wishing for a good eight hours of sleep. He wiped the tears from his streaming eyes and blinked down at the console screen as a new alert popped up. "Shit!" he cursed, rising unsteadily to his feet to search out the colonel to inform him of the new information.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush sat on the metal bench beside Belle, fiddling with his newly repaired glasses as Young stormed into the neural chair interface room and began to pace and screech before him, claiming him to be ten kinds of a bastard.

"Everett, really, could you tone it down a notch?" Belle asked, rubbing at her temples. It was late and had been a long day. She was tired and in no mood for one of his temper tantrums.

"You lied to these people!"

Rush snorted and folded his hands in his lap as he stared blankly at the man. "I gave them hope."

"_False_ hope, Rush!" the colonel shrieked angrily.

"Yeah, well," the scientist countered, "so was dialing Earth. I knew it was pointless at the time, but you persisted. Why? To boost morale. You tell me the difference."

Young raked a hand through his close cropped dark hair. "I'll tell you the difference. One's a lie!"

Rush shrugged. "Who cares?" Young stopped in his pacing to give Rush such a look of loathing he should have perished on the spot. "Who else knows about this then?" he asked.

"Camille overheard, so we can assume everyone on the ship knows."

"Oh, lovely. I'm sure she was just too happy to spread the news," Belle snarked.

"Well done, Colonel," Rush intoned, his voice dripping with condescension. "You've just ruined the chance to maximize productivity."

"I wasn't the one who planted false information into the ship's computer!"

"Look, there may very well be an Icarus-type planet buried in the data. Belle and I have only begun to scratch the surface, but I'd be a lot further on if you would just let me use the…"

Young's lips turned up in a sneer as he interrupted. "Again with the chair."

Belle shot to her feet, pointing her finger in the man's chest. "Yes, the chair! It could very well be your salvation, colonel."

"It could also kill somebody!" he raged.

"A sacrifice that could save the lives of everyone else on this ship!" Rush snarled angrily, rising to his feet and stepping around Belle.

Young walked to the closed doors of the room and slammed his hand against the wall panel, the doors sliding open. He turned back before he could exit, getting right into the shorter man's personal space. "I'm not stopping _you_. Go, sit. Be my guest."

Rush stared him down for a moment before his face crumpled in defeat, lowering his eyes as he turned away. How could he put himself in danger when it would jeopardize not only his own life but everyone else on board? Whether the man wanted to admit it or not, they'd be screwed without him.

"That's what I thought," Young said, backing away with one last contemptuous look at Rush.

Rush grimaced as he dropped back down on the bench and let his head fall into his hands in defeat. Belle smacked her hand against the door mechanism, closing them in before she growled in frustration, the sound taking him by surprise.

"I fucking hate him!"

He looked up, startled at her outburst. "Belle…"

"I'm sorry, Nicholas. I don't usually let myself feel so negatively about another human being, but that man…" she paused and took a deep breath. "…there is just something wrong with him. Do you think it's the military training that's made him this way?" she pondered for a moment. "Maybe he needs to get laid. What the hell is wrong with TJ? I need to have a talk with her and—"

"Belle!"

She sauntered over to him, his eyes drawn to the gentle swaying of her hips. She settled herself on his lap and wrapped her arms about his neck, brushing the hair away from his eyes. "And what is wrong with _you_?" she gently scolded. "If you'd wanted to plant false data in the computer, why didn't you ask me to do it for you?"

He smiled against her lips and drew back to meet her gaze with a puzzled frown. "You're not upset that I was devious and underhanded?"

"Pfft!" she said, brushing it off. "I don't care if we ever go home. I have Destiny and I have you…I don't need anything else. However, it _is_ important to our shipmates. I understand why you did it."

"Do you now?" he asked, resting his head against her shoulder as his arms tightened about her waist.

"Of course. I _know_ you, Nicholas. You wanted access to the chair, but at the same time you wanted to increase productivity _and_ give everyone hope." She carded her fingers in his hair as he hummed his pleasure against her neck. "I will not fault you for it."

"Just my methods."

"Naturally, darling. If you'd have asked for my help…" she said trailing off as his hands traced along the bare skin of her back as he slipped his hands under her shirt.

"What?" he asked, pressing light kisses along her collarbone.

"If you'd asked for my help…you wouldn't have gotten caught."

**A/N: Yeah, I had to fulfill another prompt lol. Hope you enjoyed it, Jazz!**

**aquajasmine23 asked:**

**Me: "Rush and Rumpel are about ready to come to blows and I'm not talking about blowjobs!" (Innocently spoken in one of our chats about how I didn't know which story I wished to work on)**

**Jazz: Too bad, I'm prompting Belle gives Rush his first blowjob since Gloria and they both leave satisfied (unlike Things That Go Bump In the Night- poor Rumpel ;) ). Have fuuuuuuuuuun!**

**Since this episode was mainly focused on Scott and Camille on their downtime on Earth (that so wasn't happening), I took a lot of creative license with the chapter. Hope you weren't too disappointed (o: Now I've got good new...and bad news…**

**The good news is...I've been nominated for six TEA awards on tumblr! Squee! Best Author, Love Letters for Best Courtship, Another Chance for both Best Rushbelle and Best Crossover, Jefferson and Emma (Why Did You Stay) for Best Side Pairing and Jefferson (Why Did You Stay) for Best Supporting Character. Can I just tell you all how much love I'm feeling from all my readers for nominating me. You are so awesome! If you would like to vote for any of these, voting commences on 2/2 and ends 2/7. Again, thank you all so much for nominating me (o:**

**Now for the bad news…**

**Next week my husband is coming home after being gone since Christmas and I will not have much time for writing. Therefore I will be unable to post again until 2/14. I know, and I'm so sorry, but I will be back.**

**Great heaps of love to this week's reviewers! xXSedationXx, cynicsquest, Wondermorena, PartyintheTARDIS12, Twyla Mercedes and JosephineM. Thank you so much!**


	10. Justice

**A/N: Anyone who has seen the show will know what I'm talking about…if you haven't seen the show, disregard this note. Where the hell did they get the potatoes? Why didn't we see the planet they apparently stopped at in order to get them? The first section is my thoughts on what could have happened (o:**

**Also: Thanks, hugs, snuggles to all who voted for me in the TEA's! Love Letters won for Best Courtship! Squeeeeeeeee! Jefferson and Emma won for Best Side Pairing in Why Did You Stay and Jefferson won for Best Supporting Character in Why Did You Stay. You all are so amazing. Thank you!**

Chapter Ten: Justice

There were two things no one ever wanted to encounter on Destiny. One…Rush when he'd had no sleep and two…Rush when separated from his assistant. Option's one and two together set everyone's teeth on edge, and there was more than one nasty look directed at the colonel for his part in bringing about what the crew termed as an epic disaster.

"You're not going," Young had objected when Rush had protested the makeup of the team being sent down to the planet. "You're needed here to help Eli put together a report for Dr. Williams on the data we've collected on their failed experiment."

Belle had flinched as Rush slammed both hands against his console in the neural chair interface room before pointing an angry finger at the colonel. "Belle can remain on board and help Eli with that. She doesn't need to go off world. She has no experience and isn't trained for the dangers…"

"None of the science team is trained, Rush," Young had countered. "Something you neglected to think about before you stranded us all up here, I might add. She's got to learn somehow, and she has experience recognizing plants that may be beneficial to not only our medicinals, but to the kitchen as well. She…"

"…is not going!" the doctor had snarled, squaring off against the man. "I need her here."

"Everett, please, will you give us a moment? I'll be in the gate room in thirty minutes," she had intoned, crossing her arms over her chest as she leveled him with her pointed stare. He'd quickly nodded, knowing she was the only person on the ship who would be able to get Rush to see reason whether he liked it or not.

"You're not going," he'd deadpanned the moment the door whooshed closed behind the colonel. He refused to meet her eyes as he turned back to the console, confident she wouldn't argue with a direct order from her boss.

Belle had arched a brow. "You promised I could go with the team on the next viable planet, Nicholas. Are you going back on your word?" she had asked, her questioning tone calm despite the underlying anger she felt towards his unwavering desire to refuse her.

The muscle twitched in the corner of his left eye as he continued to enter data on the program he was writing in his research on the chair. "I promised you could go with the understanding that I would be with you. I'm not letting you go off with those imbeciles who have no regard to your personal safety." He'd ducked his head lower over the console, his eyes curtained by his shaggy hair in an attempt to shield the worry there. "Young is just being a bastard."

Her features had smoothed out into a patient smile as she stepped closer to the console. "This planet has so many resources we can use. You've seen the readings from the Kino yourself. Medicinals, food, water and even the limestone we can store away to use later when the scrubbers need to be cleaned and refurbished. Young has assembled the largest away team yet and I want to be a part of it."

"Lt Johansen can forage for her plants just as easily as you can," he had protested, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the console.

She had covered his hand with hers and smoothed her fingertips over his knuckles, needing the contact just as much as he did. "It's not that you don't want me to go as much as it is that you don't want me to go without you. I understand how you feel after what we saw on the Kino footage a few days ago, but you can't let your fear get in the way of the mission. We have to acquire these things. They're necessary for our survival."

"And the rest of the team can do that without you," he had snapped. He knew he was being foolish, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

Belle had thrown up her hands and growled in exasperation. "You are, by far, the most stubborn man I know, Nicholas Rush. I'm going!" she'd declared and stalked out of the room.

"Belle. Belle!" he called after her, but she hadn't returned.

That had been ten hours ago. In the intervening time, he'd gotten little done, unable to concentrate wholly on his work. He'd snapped and snarled at Eli as they'd put together a report for the visiting scientist. Dr. Williams had been more than happy to rush through the data in order to be out of Rush's presence, though he wasn't thrilled with the prospect of returning to his supervisors with no resolution of how to successfully dial the gate. Park had tried to work with Rush on the program he was writing and had been seen leaving the neural chair interface room in tears. Finally Young had ordered everyone to stay away from the chair room to give Rush his space to stew in his own anger. It was an order enthusiastically obeyed by one and all.

It was also why everyone gave him a wide berth as he stalked towards the gate room with only three hours left on the countdown clock. Brody stood at the primary console, monitoring the team as they made their way back to the gate to begin sending the last of the supplies in, logging it into the ship's computer as the marines called out what they had, what would need to be analyzed and where the supplies would be stored. He took one look at Rush and scurried over to the secondary console to resume his work.

"Williams wasn't too thrilled with the data collected from this end of the experiment," Young remarked coolly as he joined Rush at the console.

"I'm sure Eli will fill in any holes during the debriefing," Rush said, staring straight ahead at the marines working to move the incoming crates away from the ramp.

"They're concerned, especially that you were able to so easily put a stop to their program when they couldn't shut it down," the colonel said, giving the doctor a searching look.

Rush cast him a look of ill-concealed disgust. "Just what are you implying, Colonel? That I deliberately sabotaged their attempt to dial the gate?"

"Wouldn't be the first time your ambition led to something like this—"

"Next time you want to question my ambitions, Colonel, think of it this way. If I hadn't stopped that experiment, you wouldn't be here now to complain about it," he scoffed, turning to look up at the clock slowly ticking down above the door. He gained immense satisfaction in the way Young glared at him and stalked away, but it was ruined in the next moment when Greer came through the puddle carrying Belle in his arms. "Belle…"

He nimbly traversed his way through a sea of bodies moving supplies, unmindful of who got trampled in the process as he made his way to her side. If she wasn't returning to the ship under her own steam, she had to be hurt and he wanted to know who was responsible. "For fuck's sake, Franklin, move your ass!" he snarled, borrowing one of Belle's favorite expletives as the man trod on his foot. He ignored the throbbing pain and limped the rest of the way, determined to reach her. "Belle, what happened?" he asked, holding out his arms to take her from Greer.

"Oh, Nicholas, it was so amazing! I had the best time," Belle gushed, her face alight with pleasure, her cheeks flushed a deep rose…from what he could see beneath the dirt and what looked like bruises…as she wrapped her arms about his neck and kissed his cheek in greeting.

Rush ignored her words, growling, "Nevermind that. What the hell happened to you?"

TJ intervened on her friend's behalf. "She's alright, Dr. Rush," the medic offered by way of explanation. "I've already bandaged her ankle and checked her for head trauma. With a few days' rest, she should be good as new."

"She's just clumsy as hell," Greer chuckled when Rush shot him his patented death glare. "Leaned over too far and slid about twenty meters into a ravine. She's a little bruised, but this is a good thing."

"In what reality could this possibly be a good thing?" he thundered, his gaze swinging between the master sergeant and the bundle in his arms.

"Because maybe she'll listen to me next time when I tell her _no, don't_ and _stop_," Greer retorted with a slight raise of his brows.

"Pfft! If it adds flavor to the…um…elk," she scoffed, trying to find an appropriate word for the animal he and Scott had killed, "you took down, you'll thank me for it."

Having had enough, Rush turned on his heel and left the gate room, Belle cradled protectively to his chest. "Never should have listened…stubborn woman…more balls than brains…" he muttered under his breath as he headed towards their quarters to fetch clean clothes for her.

Belle giggled and nuzzled her nose adoringly beneath his ear. "You think I'm ballsy?" she teased. He snorted. "Don't be upset, Nicholas. You wouldn't believe the things we were able to collect. We found the strangest looking root vegetables, but I think if we prepare them correctly, they might have the texture of carrots…well, as long as the green color doesn't put you off of them. And onions, beautiful spring onions, something that resembles sweet potatoes, leafy greens that will make a decent salad…and the fruits, Nicholas! Oh the fruits are just to die for. There's one…it's bright red…and I think it could be a peach, but it's better than any peach I've ever tasted…"

Nicholas arched a brow, hard pressed to remain angry in the face of such abject glee as he continued his trek through the ship, listening to her expound on the team's discoveries. "Tea? You found tea leaves?" he asked, catching upon a pertinent aspect of her ramblings. Oh if only it had been coffee beans instead, he thought petulantly.

She nodded cheerfully. "I think so. Think of it as a tea alternative, but after the leaves are put through the dehydrator and blended with some of the pits from the peaches and a few other ingredients I was able to find, I believe it will make some glorious tea," she said, her eyes closing as she imagined the flavor bursting across her palate.

Rush set her on the bed in their quarters and retrieved clean clothes from the dresser. He placed her yoga pants and one of his t-shirts on the bed next to her and knelt at her feet to inspect her ankle for himself. "Well, I'm just thrilled you enjoyed yourself, because it won't be happening again. You'll only go off world if I'm there to see to your safety," he said with calm determination, his tone matter of fact and deathly serious. "Especially since not one of those marines could see to it to return you to the ship in the same condition you left."

Belle sat back, resting her weight on her palms as he removed the ace bandage wrapped tightly about her ankle, hissing slightly as his fingers probed along the purpling bruises. "It's not that bad," she whispered as he cradled her foot in his hands, his thumbs gently brushing against her skin. "At least I didn't break anything this time."

She grabbed her small bundle of clothes as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the lavatory at the end of the hall, easing her down on the double vanity. He was angry, but she could also sense an underlying fear in him that had her feeling remorseful for putting him through so much stress. He said not a word as he set to work, removing her one remaining boot and the thick woolen sock that covered her foot, nor would he meet her eyes as he pushed the flak jacket from her shoulders and untying the knot at the back of her navy halter top, baring her to his gaze.

Rush clenched his teeth, cursing in Ancient as he took in the bruises marring her left side along her ribs and the tender flesh on the inside of her arm as if she'd thrown it up trying to grab onto something to stop her descent into the ravine. He was certain once he removed her pants she'd also have bruising along her hip and thigh. "This never would have happened if you had listened to me!"

"Hey," she crooned in low tones, "I'm ok. I'll be sore for a few days, but I'm alright." She threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged, pulling him in so their lips could meet. She sighed happily when he didn't draw away from her, but let her explore his mouth with her gentle kiss. "I'm not going anywhere, Nicholas," she murmured, trying to dispel his fears, "but if it makes you happy, I won't go off world without you, unless it's absolutely necessary."

His hands fumbled uselessly at the waistband of her camouflaged trousers as he met her gaze. "Did you want me to help you shower?

Seeing as you can't stand on that sprain?" he asked, waiting for her permission.

"If you like," she answered, smiling coyly up at him as her fingertips kneaded his upper arms in an attempt to soothe away the tension coiled so tightly in his muscles.

"Aye, I don't want you to fall and injure yourself further. I want to get the mud off of you and see just how badly you've damaged yourself." He gnashed his teeth as she reached for his shirt, tugging it free from the waistband of his jeans. She was hurt; he couldn't let his desire get in the way of his ability to care for her, but each little touch of her fingertips felt like fire igniting in his veins. He captured her hands in his, bringing them to his lips and kissing her palms.

Rush let her go and made quick work of his clothes, shedding them with swift methodical movements, trying not to think of being in the shower with her. He closed his eyes as he helped her to stand and she pressed against him, her pert breasts brushing against his chest. He bit the inside of his cheek, focusing on the algorithms and equations he'd written into his program for the chair, anything to distract himself from her bare flesh sliding against his own.

Belle giggled as she shimmied out of her fatigues and knickers and wrapped her arms about his neck. "Nicholas, it's not very flattering when you do that, y'know?"

"Do what?" he asked, lifting her into his arms and carrying her into the shower stall. He set her carefully on her feet, leaving her to balance herself against him as he turned on the spray and eased her under the warm mist.

His cock stirred against her belly where it was tucked between them as her lips trailed hot open-mouthed kisses along his collarbone. "You're doing math in your head again. You only do that when you're uncomfortable. It's your safe zone." She stopped and looked up at him through heavy lids. "Do I make you uncomfortable, Nicholas?" she fairly purred, gently rolling her hips against him.

Rush whimpered and bit back a curse. "You're hurt, Belle. What kind of man would I be if I took advantage?" he asked, reaching behind him for the washcloth hanging over the stall door next to their towels. "As it is, I'm afraid to touch you for fear I'll make it worse or cause you undue pain."

Belle shook her head and brushed his wet hair away from his eyes. "You won't. I'm sure it looks much worse than it actually is." She rested her head on his shoulder as he dragged the cloth over her back, scrubbing away the dirt and mud caked on her skin. "That feels so good." It wasn't a lie. It had been what felt like forever since she'd had someone care for her in such a way and even longer since she'd trusted anyone so completely to do so.

She knew it was the same for him, which was one of the reasons it had taken him so long to let her in. She felt privileged to have him trust her with his vulnerable side. He had depth that so many men in her former life had lacked. He was gentle and kind and his heart was true, something no one else on the ship would ever know about him. They only saw his rough edges and the preventative measures he took to keep anyone from getting close to him. She smiled as she pressed a kiss to his chest above his heart, reveling in the fact that he was hers.

Belle moaned softly as his hands delved into her hair, his fingertips exerting just the right amount of pressure against her scalp as he cleaned the long locks. "Mmm, sometimes when we're like this," she whispered, "I can imagine it's just you and me alone on the ship."

Rush turned her around, his arm around her waist helping her maintain her balance. "Yeah?" he chuckled against her ear as he set to cleaning her chest and shoulders. "Just us…no Young, no one interfering with the mission, no one trying to usurp my authority over the scientific aspect of the ship. That's a lovely dream, _mo ghrá._" She turned again, taking the cloth from him and returning the favor. "You'd miss Eli and Miss Armstrong, and specifically Lt Johansen, however."

She held onto him as she made him turn so she could wash his back. "But I'd have you." Her face fell as she thought of Eli. "Besides, you never know whom you can trust with this lot," she said with a hint of bitterness as she wrung out the cloth and draped it over the stall door to dry.

He reached behind her and turned off the spray, wrapping a towel about her bruised body as he used another to dry her hair. "What do you mean, Belle? I thought you trusted your friends implicitly," he said dryly, a small smirk pulling at his lips.

She frowned as he wrapped the damp towel about his hips and lifted her in his arms, carrying her from the lavatory back to their quarters. "I don't trust anyone aside from you," she said fervently as he laid her on the bed and peeled the towel from her, tossing it to the floor as he made her turn on her right side so he'd have a clear view of her left. "I tried to be a little more trusting with my friends, but it seems every time I do, I'm severely disappointed."

Rush huffed a laugh and raked a hand through his damp hair. "Perhaps you'd like to continue being vague, but I cannot commiserate with you if I don't have a clue as to what you're referring."

A wry grin curled her lips as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. I had hoped I wouldn't have to tell you at all, but I have trouble keeping things from you."

She hissed as his fingertips skimmed lightly over her hip where a particularly nasty bruise was turning a vivid purple. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, pulling his hand back.

"No, it's ok." She looked down and snorted at the mess she'd made of herself. In a day or two the bruises would fade and she'd be right as rain, but for now she looked as though she'd been the loser in a prizefight. Lovely. She reached for his hand, twining her fingers with his, trying to get him to focus on something other than her injuries. "Nicholas, you need to be careful."

His brows drew together as he met her troubled gaze. "I will, love. I'll be gentler—"

"No, that's not what I meant. I discovered something yesterday."

"You discover something new _every_ day, Belle."

"Eli has been spying on you…for the colonel," she blurted out, locking her gaze with his, the seriousness of the matter evident in her cerulean eyes. Better to rip off the band-aid all at once. "You need to be careful."

"Fuck!" he cursed, rising from the bed to stalk angrily about the room as his temper flared. "How long?"

"I don't know, but there are hours of footage on his computer." She pushed herself up into a sitting position against the headboard and pulled the duvet over her chilled form. She wondered why he'd even bothered to bring her a fresh change of clothes to the lavatory if he'd had no intention of using them. Yet, it could be that he'd simply been too distracted.

"He's a member of our team, Belle! How the fuck are we supposed to work together if I have to worry about every single move I make being reported to fucking Young?!" he roared. "And you were going to keep this from me?"

"Of course not. I said I wished I wouldn't have to tell you, not that I wouldn't," she retorted in her defense. "You should know me better than that by now, Nicholas."

He made a noise of contrition as he stopped his pacing to turn to look at her. "Belle, I didn't mean to imply you were untrustworthy," he murmured, trailing his fingertips over her bruised cheek. "Never you, _mo ghrá_."

She reached for the ace bandage he'd discarded earlier on the nightstand and proceeded to roll it up so she could re-wrap her ankle. "Poor Eli, he's becoming brainwashed by the chain of command. HWC forced him into this against his will, Nicholas. All he wants is to go home and he believes Young can get him there. He sees

Young and thinks military equals good, chain of command equals getting things done. He doesn't see all the shades of gray in between. We must be careful, but we also must be diligent that your actions aren't misconstrued."

Rush pulled her foot from beneath the duvet and took the ace bandage from her hands, gently wrapping it around her swollen ankle. "He's still young and hasn't had enough life experience to see through Young's single minded purpose. I suppose he'll learn the hard way." He stretched out on the bed next to her and she curled into his side, resting her head against his chest, exhausted from her long day on the planet and sore from her injuries. She needed sleep just as badly as Rush. "Belle, you don't…you don't think I'd purposely set out to harm anyone do you?"

Belle snorted. "I know you, Nicholas. You're all about the greater good. I'm the only person on this ship you wouldn't sacrifice if necessary—"

"Belle—"

She cut him off, covering his lips with her fingertips. "Don't deny it when you know I'm right."

He didn't answer, refusing to admit she was right as he felt the fatigue wash over him. His long hours working were catching up with him and now that she was back on board and safe from any more harm, he could finally relax. There would be time later to worry about Young's scheming, but as long as his Belle believed in him, he could deal with whatever fate had in store for them.

X*X*X*X*X

"I swear, if you give me one more page of calculations, I may throw this laptop at your head, Nicholas," she growled as she looked over the screen at his irritatingly smirking face across the room.

"Then rest, my Belle. The only reason I gave you the calculations to review was because you claimed you were bored," he said calmly as he continued to make notations in his notebook and compare it to what he'd entered into the ship's computer. "Lt Johansen said you could resume active duty tomorrow at the earliest and we're going to follow her instructions to the letter."

"I missed my workout this morning," she pouted, removing her flash drive and holding it out to him so he could plug it into the adapter and download the data into the console.

"Chloe and Lt James managed without you there to lead them through the steps," he said, waving his arms about in a poor imitation of her aerobics moves.

She arched a brow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you mocking me, Nicholas?" she asked in a steely voice, barely restraining the urge to pound the mattress beneath her with her fists. Yet another sore subject that was causing disharmony between them.

Belle was already frustrated by the fact that he refused to touch her while she was covered in bruises, afraid he would hurt her, but TJ had only made it worse when she'd told him Belle needed rest for a few days to heal. He had work to do in his research on the chair and had ordered…_ordered_…her to remain in bed. Of course, being the stubborn creature she was, she had perhaps waited five minutes after he'd left their quarters to drag her clothes on and hobble off to the hydroponics lab to get started with the drying process of her tea leaves. He'd been furious when he'd stormed into the lab and carted her off to the neural chair interface room. And if she found out who tattled on her there would be hell to pay.

Rush had called Greer and Rivers into his sanctum and given them a list of demands to bring in one of the spare mattresses from the unused quarters to set up a pallet in the corner of the room so he could keep an eye on her. She had just about everything she needed to keep her comfortable and entertained and she even had her work on Rush's research to keep her busy. Even so, she hated being idle. She looked forward to her breaks during the day when she could be useful in other areas of the ship. Not to mention, she wasn't allowed to explore.

She growled in frustration. "Rush, I have things to do in hydroponics. Can't I just check on the progress—"

"No," he replied without looking at her. "Doctors Boone and Park are seeing to your little project as well as their own in the lab."

"The herbs I collected?"

"Already done and sent to the kitchens."

The smell of roasting meat and vegetables already permeated the ship, making her mouth water. It had been so long since they'd had a decent meal, and a celebration had been planned for dinner that night. Considering the somber mood that usually ran rampant in the crew, a celebratory air would be more than welcome. Too bad she wasn't in the mood. She couldn't even find peace in her work, which usually brought her comfort.

She fidgeted, her irritation over her convalescence growing exponentially. "I'm bored, Nicholas. Can't you take a break? I'm tired of being cooped up in here when I'm really of no use to anyone."

Rush continued to scratch away in his notepad. "I'd take you to the observation deck for a bit, but I know we wouldn't be there ten minutes before you'd be complaining again." He sighed and set his work aside, ambling over to her pallet and dropping down beside her. "Another fifteen hours and you'll be free to do whatever you like, Belle."

She dropped her gaze to his hand covering hers and she turned it to slide her palm against his. "I don't like to feel useless."

"You're not useless," he assured her, brushing a stray curl behind her ear as he pulled her forward to capture her lips. "You could never be useless. Why don't you read for a while until it's time to go to dinner? Volker just charged your e-reader and I'm sure there's something on there to keep you distracted until then."

Belle chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "You don't have any more work for me to do?" she asked, raising doleful eyes to meet his.

"No, I'm waiting for your current work to finish downloading into the database. You have some free time so I suggest you enjoy it." He brushed his fingertips lightly over the fading bruises on her cheek. "At least you're a quick healer, Belle. It could have been worse."

She nodded, reclining back against her pillows and switching on the device in her hands as he returned to the console to resume his work. It had been so long since she'd had time to sit and read and although she missed the smell of ink and paper and the weight of holding an actual book in her hands, it was still nice. But she couldn't relieve the itch beneath her skin that made her want to get up and move. She squirmed, a grimace gathering like a thundercloud on her face as she contemplated disturbing Rush once more. However, she didn't have a choice.

"Nicholas?" she asked tentatively.

"Hmm?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

He set his work aside and sighed, leaning heavily on the console as he looked up, a grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. Without complaint, he moved to her pallet and lifted her in his arms to carry her from the room, pressing a small kiss to her temple. "Why didn't you say so?"

X*X*X*X*X

"I can walk, y'know?" Belle protested as Rush carried her down the corridor to the infirmary.

"Not until Lt Johansen gives you the all clear…AND I'll not hear another word, Belle. I won't have you injuring yourself further if you're not ready to be up and about," he said, tightening his grip on her.

Belle sulked silently for all of two seconds. "You're being an overbearing ass, Nicholas."

"No, _mo chroí_, I simply want you whole and healthy," he chuckled softly.

She lifted her hand to trace the dark circles beneath his eyes with her fingertips. "You didn't sleep last night, did you? Even after you promised?"

"I laid down with you for an hour or so," he said, staring down into her worried eyes. He hated to see the concern for his health there in her gaze, but there was no help for it. "You know how important it is for us to unlock the core systems, and with Young not wanting us to have access to the chair, it's even more difficult. I've got to work, Belle."

Belle held her tongue and waved to TJ, who was with another patient, as

Rush bore her into the infirmary and settled her comfortably on a gurney. "Hey, guys," the medic said as she pulled on a pair of latex gloves. "Belle, how're you feeling?" she asked, turning Belle's face to the right so she could have a look at the bruises covering the left side of her face.

"I'm good, TJ, but if I'm not allowed to get up and move around, I may very well go mad. It's been two days! Can I _please_ be off of terminal bed rest now?"

TJ chuckled and arched a brow. "Terminal bed rest?"

Belle sniffed. "It might as well be with Rush monitoring my every move like a hovering mother hen. "

Rush chuckled, "No need to be dramatic, my Belle. I just want to make absolutely certain you're healthy."

Belle rolled her eyes. "Nicholas, I'm _fine! _Aren't I, TJ?" she asked with a hopeful lilt in her voice.

"We'll see. Let me finish your examination before I decide, ok?" TJ said, grinning broadly at her friend. "It's hard to believe you only sustained these two days ago," she mused, inspecting her ribs. "Perhaps they looked worse than I'd originally thought."

Belle bit her lip and caressed the tea cup pendant hanging about her throat. "I've always been a quick healer."

"She's too obstinate to be down for long," Rush teased from where he was leaning against TJ's desk behind the gurney.

"Alright, let's have a look at your ankle," TJ said, unwrapping the ace bandage. She poked and prodded with her fingertips, frowning as she pressed gingerly along the tendons. "Can you stand for me?"

Belle complied, breathing a sigh of relief as she tentatively put her foot on the floor and shifted her weight to it without pain. She took a few steps at the medic's insistence. "It feels fine."

"It doesn't seem as though you have any lasting damage, but I suggest you wear the ace bandage for a few more days for added support.

"TJ, you haven't turned in your shift changes, and…" Young paused, coming into the infirmary and seeing she was in the middle of an examination. "Oh, I'm sorry; didn't know you were busy."

Belle waved him off. "We were just finishing up, Colonel," she smiled, thrilled to finally be back on her feet. However nice it was to have Rush carry her all about the ship, it was getting a bit old. Her normal boundless energy didn't bode well for lying about idly. "And I have our shift changes in the chair room if you'd like to come by later?"

"Thank you, Miss French," he said, rocking back on his heels as Rush took the ace bandage from TJ and rewrapped her ankle with the greatest of care. Young's gaze slid to the medic and he sighed, wishing there were words to bridge the gap that seemed to be growing between them.

"Colonel Young," his radio crackled, Greer's voice somber. "This is Sergeant Greer."

"Go ahead, sergeant."

"I'm in Sergeant Spencer's quarters. He did not show up for duty. I came by to check up on him."

Young's brow furrowed at the flat tone in Greer's voice. "Greer, what is it?"

Belle tilted her head to the side as the air seemed to crackle with tension. She gasped at the sergeant's next words. "He's been shot, sir. He's dead."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle looked up from the console where she was working silently next to Rush as Young, TJ, Eli and Scott trooped into the chair room and began to explain the details of Sergeant Spencer's untimely death. "Wait…so is it a suicide or not?" she asked, confused by the evidence, or lack thereof.

TJ shook her head. "To all outward appearances, I would have said yes, but the gun is missing."

Rush dropped down onto the stool before his console and clasped his hands together as he turned to Young. "So…any suspects?" he asked. When the colonel didn't answer, he looked to Scott who remained just as tight lipped as his commanding officer. "Well, excuse me for being blunt, but there is a killer on board the ship. Do we have any idea who did this?"

"I don't know. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it," Young murmured, leaning against the door frame.

"It-it's unbelievable," Eli stammered.

"Did he check his weapon into lock up after his shift last night?" Belle queried, wondering if Spencer's weapon was the one that was missing.

"Every weapon on board has been accounted for except Spencer's sidearm. Whoever did this used it to…well…you know," Scott explained.

"I don't think it's so unbelievable," Rush scoffed. "You put ordinary people under enough stress, I think you'll find they're capable of just about anything. Add to that the fact he was hoarding water and food, involved in several confrontations, I doubt you'll find many tears shed over this man."

Scott bristled. "He was one of our own, Rush."

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," Rush sniggered, his voice dripping with condescension. "Was he your friend?" Scott tried to meet his gaze, but eventually looked down. Rush looked questioningly at the others, eyebrows raised. "Did he, in fact, have one single friend aboard this ship?"

Belle sighed in frustration and scrubbed her hands over her face as she set his notebook aside. "I don't think so. He had to have been one of the most disagreeable people I've ever met."

"James hung out with him," Eli said, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket.

"Vanessa tolerated him, I think. I wouldn't call that a friendship, though," TJ added.

Scott shifted awkwardly. "Alright, so no-one could stand the guy. It does not make it OK."

Rush arched a brow and stabbed the colonel with his penetrating gaze. "I didn't mean to suggest that it did. What I do suggest, however, is that, Colonel Young - you should try and find out who this killer is as quickly as possible."

X*X*X*X*X

The entire crew gathered in the gate room to hear Young's announcement, falling silent as the colonel entered with several of the military contingent falling into step behind him. The soldiers, carrying weapons, clearly intent upon asserting their authority, spread out about the room, forming a perimeter. Scott and Young ascended partway up the stairs to be head and shoulders above the rest, wanting to be seen by all.

"As I am sure many of you have already heard," Everett began, "Sergeant Spencer was killed last night. He signed the weapon out of the equipment lock-up yesterday, and the nine millimeter handgun was not returned and is still missing."

Concerned murmuring broke out amongst the crew.

"I'm aware of how extremely disturbing this is for all of us, so this is what we're going to do. Lt Scott, Eli, Mr. Brody, Lt James and Dr. Park were together playing cards in the mess at the time of the murder. They can all corroborate each other's stories, which gives them an alibi."

Immediately everyone started providing their own alibis to each other, several calling out to Young.

Dr. Palmer seemed almost belligerent. "Hey, I was in the Control Room all night."

"Yeah, I was in the Hydroponics Lab," Dr. Boone called. "Check the Kino footage!"

"Listen," Young said, his voice echoing in the cavernous room as he held up his hands in a gesture for quiet. "I'm sure others will have alibis, but some of us won't. I can tell you for a fact that I was in my bunk sleeping at the time, but I can't prove that, and that makes me as much of a suspect as anyone. That is why I am turning over full control of the investigation to Lt Scott." Everett descended the stairs, leaving Scott free to address the crew.

Chloe shifted nervously where she stood at the back of the room next to Belle, leaning over to whisper. "Do you really think anyone is capable of murdering Spencer in cold blood?"

Belle reached for her friend's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "With the right amount of provocation, you'd be surprised by what people are capable of."

"All right," Scott said, his rifle held loosely by his side as he spoke. "We are going to do a room by room search, starting with quarters, until the weapon is found. Now, everyone needs to stay here until that search is complete but, in the meantime..."

Belle rolled her eyes as Dr. Franklin stepped forward. "You are not searching my room without me there," he interrupted. Several more spoke out, agreeing with the scientist.

"Anybody who wants to be there when their room is being searched can come along when their name is called. That fair?" Scott asked, pleased when more of the assembled nodded in agreement. "OK. Doctor Franklin, you can be first. Who else would like to be present when their..." He trailed off when over half of the crew raised their hands. "All right, OK, I... it'll..."

He looked around to Eli who shrugged at him in a _what can you do_ kind of way before continuing. "It'll take all day that way but we can, uh, we can do two at a time," he sighed, "If that's what you want."

Belle leaned her back against the stargate and pulled the radio from the belt of her yoga pants with a groan. "Nicholas?"

"Go ahead, Belle," he said, his tone clipped and filled with impatience.

"They're doing a search of everyone's quarters and we're all trapped here in the gate room until they're done. I'll be delayed. Can you transfer the data I was analyzing to the primary console here?" she asked. There were a hundred things she'd like to be discussing with him at the moment, but couldn't very well do that with Chloe glued to her side.

"What?! Does Young really think that's necessary?"

"Apparently," she said dryly. "You know he's going to do this by the book. I'll keep you informed. Just coordinate with me through radio and computer."

"Fine," he said, his weary sigh coming through loud and clear over the link. "Rush out."

X*X*X*X*X

Young pushed away from where he was leaning against the outside of the stairwell as his radio squawked and Rush's voice echoed in the room. "Colonel Young, come in."

"What is it?" the colonel asked wearily, pacing several steps away from TJ.

"I've found some new information regarding the Ancient Chair Interface," Rush replied, the sound of keystrokes on the console sounding in the background.

Young sighed, shaking his head. The man was single-minded when it came to the chair and he wondered if that would ever change. "Have they checked your quarters?"

"Well, I don't know, actually. Belle is supposed to be handling that because I've got work to do."

"Where are you?" Young asked, his dark eyes scanning the gate room in search of the doctor.

"The control interface room," Rush snarled, impatient with Young's dictates. "Look, I've come across some very interesting data..."

"You're supposed to be here, waiting with the rest of us."

"Colonel, obviously neither one of us had anything to do with this business."

Young gnashed his teeth, vexed with the man's unwillingness to conform.

"Well, that's not the point."

"I thought, while all this was going on, it might give us the opportunity to keep working," Rush snarked tetchily. "Obviously I was wrong. Rush out."

"Rush, get your ass back to the gate room. Rush?!" he growled, glaring acidly at the radio.

The radio crackled again, this time, however, it was Scott's voice to interrupt his black thoughts. "Colonel Young, this is Scott, come in?"

"Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"You're up."

"Get started. I'll be there shortly."

X*X*X*X*X

"You found the gun where?" Belle asked, looking up from the console as Eli and Scott regaled them with the details of their search. She was still in a high state of dudgeon from being confined to her quarters after the suite she shared with Nicholas had been searched. She'd just sat down to work at her console when Eli and Scott had come into the chair room to tell Rush and Camille what they'd found.

"In the colonel's quarters in a vent," Eli said, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at his feet.

"Well, this looks bad," Rush said, shaking his head.

Scott shifted restlessly as he stared incredulously at Rush, unable to believe the doctor could think Young would have had anything to do with the murder of one of his men. "It doesn't prove anything."

"That's not the point," Camille insisted. "This is a question of morale. A lot of people on board are going to have doubts."

Scott turned his troubled gaze on Eli. "Eli, you were flying a Kino in everyone's face last night."

"Just until the poker game, then…" he raised his head, understanding dawning on his face. "Then I put it in a search mode."

"Well, maybe it caught something…something that might indicate that Colonel Young had nothing to do with this," Rush said, rubbing at his upper lip as he leaned an elbow on the console.

"Or that he did," Camille suggested.

Belle snorted, knowing the IOA representative would like nothing more than to have the military presence on board removed or corralled at the very least. As much as she disliked the colonel, she liked Camille even less and didn't want to see that woman with more power than she already wielded.

"I find that hard to believe," Rush scoffed. "Have you contacted Earth yet?"

"I was just about to use the communication stones," Camille said, turning towards the door.

"Well, whatever your superiors advise, we _are_ on our own out here. Best we handle this ourselves."

X*X*X*X*X

Belle stood in the open doorway of the conference room where the evidentiary hearing was being held. A chair had been brought in to serve as a witness stand and it faced a table where Chloe and Camille sat, representing both prosecution and defense. On either side of the long room, more chairs had been set up for the crew members who wanted to bear witness to the insanity taking place before her.

It was bloody well ridiculous, she thought as she crossed her arms over her chest, one brow arched dubiously as she listened to Camille question first Dr. Franklin and then Dr. Volker about the colonel's conduct. Chloe seemed to be holding her own against the woman considering she had no more than a degree in political science. It was ludicrous to think Young would have killed one of his own men. He might occasionally lose his temper- and really, who on board hadn't lost it over the past several weeks, herself included- but she didn't think his professionalism would allow him to act in such a heinous way.

Her eyes narrowed on Volker as he hesitantly spoke of a conversation between the colonel and Rush where Young complained about Spencer. They were blowing it completely out of proportion, in her opinion, and it seemed it would only get worse as Rush took a seat in the chair, an impassive expression on his face. She bit down on her lip to quell the groan that rose in her throat.

"I don't remember the details of the conversation," Rush said with a sigh of impatience. He wasn't happy to have been pulled away from his work to testify at this farce of a hearing.

"But you _do_ remember speaking with Colonel Young about Sergeant Spencer?" Camille pressed.

"Well, the colonel was doing most of the talking. I think he just wanted to let off steam," Rush said, making it sound as if it were of little importance.

Camille paused a moment, meeting his eyes with a steady gaze of her own as she tapped her pencil against her notepad. "Do you remember him saying that if things didn't improve, he was going to have to take drastic action?"

"I'm not sure he used those exact words."

"Do you agree that Sergeant Spencer was a disruptive force; that his attitude was damaging to morale and was only getting worse?" she asked, ignoring Chloe as she shifted next to her.

Rush clasped his hands together in his lap, never flinching. "Yes."

Belle's eyes narrowed on him as the corner of his eye twitched spasmodically. If she hadn't been staring at him so intently, she would have missed it. _Just what are you up to, Nicholas_, she wondered, recognizing one of his tells.

Camille continued. "Then would you say that his _removal_ from the situation has been a benefit or a detriment?" she asked, pressing her advantage.

Rush smirked wryly, tilting his head a bit to the right as he perused her glib satisfaction. "I know what you're trying to do. You want me to suggest that we're better off without him, therefore implying that Colonel Young may have drawn the same conclusion…that as commander he may have believed he had no choice."

Camille's brows rose expectantly. "Well?"

"Well, that would be pure speculation and I'm having none of it."

Rush joined Belle at the door when Camille released him from the witness stand. TJ was up next.

Belle arched a condescending brow at her lover. "For someone who had no intention or desire to bury the colonel, you didn't hesitate to pick up the shovel," she whispered so as not to disrupt the proceedings. She didn't give him a chance to defend his actions, turning back to listen to Camille and Chloe question TJ.

Rush turned on his heel and pressed a kiss to her temple, seeking forgiveness for whatever blunder he'd committed in her eyes. "I'll be in the control room for a while. I want to process the data we uncovered on the chair this morning."

She nodded, relieved he hadn't taken her comment the wrong way. She really didn't want to fight with him considering everything else that was going on. She pushed it to the back of her mind and concentrated on the medic's testimony as TJ revealed the evidence she'd gathered that morning. Apparently, she'd found an empty prescription bottle for sleeping pills in his room and TJ told the assemblage if he'd come to her she might have been able to help him. It was also discouraging that without the proper equipment she was unable to perform an autopsy or other forensic tests that could prove the difference between suicide and murder. All in all, things were not looking well for the colonel.

Belle backed away from the door and leaned against the bulkhead next to the door release as Camille called for a recess and everyone began to file out.

Camille slammed her hand on the table as she turned to face Chloe. "What was that? We're trying to get to the _truth_ here," she railed at the girl, her dark eyes flashing fire as she referred to the animosity that had sprung up between them while questioning TJ.

"I don't think that's even possible," Chloe countered, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest as she stared at the shorter woman.

"We can't afford to have an unsolved murder hanging over our heads."

Chloe glowered at her. "So forget about the possibility that the colonel is being framed and just get this over with?!" she declared hotly.

"I don't think Colonel Young is so far above reproach as you seem to think he is," Camille hissed, pointing her finger at the girl.

"Oh, well, _you're_ the human resources person," Chloe sneered, her voice rising along with her ire. "You would know all about that. In fact, you probably know more about every person on this ship than anyone. If we're throwing due process out the window, who do _you_ think did it? We'll just go with that!"

Belle strode purposefully into the room. "Ladies! Do we really need to be fighting amongst ourselves?" she asked, her voice calm as she met

Camille's wrathful gaze. "Why don't we have some lunch and give us time to reflect on what we've learned so far?"

"I really don't think this concerns you, Miss French," Camille said softly.

"No, but it concerns me," Everett said from the open doorway. "Might I have a word, Ms. Wray?"

Belle nodded to Young and tugged on Chloe's elbow, prodding her to leave the room and join her in the mess. "Belle, there's no clear evidence that he did this. It's purely speculation. Anyone on board this ship could have easily planted that gun in Colonel Young's quarters and Camille acts as though she caught him pulling the trigger," the girl fumed as she walked beside Belle down the corridor and entered the mess. "What the hell is wrong with her?"

She led Chloe over to her usual table in the corner and sat down opposite her friend, smiling warmly at Becker as he brought them two bowls of steaming stew he'd made with some of the meat and potatoes they'd acquired on the planet. She tucked in, savoring the burst of flavor on her tongue after so many weeks of protein bars and paste.

"Chloe," she said around her first bite, "Camille is very ambitious. Haven't you figured out yet what is going to happen if Colonel Young is removed from command?" she asked, giving the girl a pointed look.

"Oh my god," Chloe gasped, her spoon clattering to the table as it slipped from her numb fingers. "She would be put in charge."

"Which we all know she's been clamoring for since we came aboard," Belle supplied with a shrug. "I don't understand how she thinks she could do a better job, but it is what it is."

Eli came in and sat down with them, casting a furtive glance in Belle's direction to see if she was still harboring animosity towards him. "Hey, guys. How's it going?"

"Better for us than the colonel," Chloe admitted ruefully as she swirled her spoon around in her stew.

Belle tuned out as her friend's discussed their views on the hearing. The mess's occupants consisted mostly of civilians, and she couldn't seem to block out the conversations being held around her.

"You don't think he really did it?" Dr. Palmer asked from where she sat with Doctors Park and Volker.

"I'm not so sure what to think any more," Lisa replied with a shrug.

Dale looked between the two women. "Spencer was a menace, though. We all know it."

Brody leaned forward, his elbows against the table as he tried to keep his voice down. "Well, maybe it's just like Rush said. Maybe Young thought he had no other choice."

Palmer gave him a dubious look. "No, that's crazy."

Volker shrugged again and returned to his food. "Well, let's face it…how well do any of us really know the man?"

Belle startled as Eli laid his hand over hers to garner her attention. "Earth to Belle! Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah," she said, frowning down at her lunch as she took another bite. "But whoever did this has gotten what they wanted." She nodded towards the table of civilian scientists. "Already there's dissension in the ranks."

Chloe let out a growl of frustration and pushed her bowl aside. Belle pushed it back at her friend with a pointed look, telling her without words that she didn't need to miss a meal. "There's got to be something we're missing!" she groaned, picking up her spoon once more.

"I've been over the Kino footage like ten times. There's nothing on there that either convicts or exonerates the colonel," Eli protested as he took a sip of his cooling tea. He sighed blissfully and winked at Belle. "Kudos on the tea, however."

"Hmm," Belle hummed distractedly. She shook herself out of her reverie. "You need to go over it again. There has to be something there. It's not like you not to have everything recorded that goes on. It's there, you just haven't found it yet." Her eyes narrowed as she watched

Rush amble into the mess, grab a bowl of stew and make his way over to their table to sit next to her. "What in the world has you so jubilant, Nicholas?"

"Don't know what you mean, Belle," he said evasively, tucking into his lunch with undisguised relish.

She knew better, however. He had that glint of avarice in his eye and seemed entirely too pleased with himself. It made her leery and suspicious and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle felt a chill skitter up her spine as the lights flickered on in the neural chair interface room and she couldn't help but grip Rush's hand tighter in hers as he led her over to the primary console. His smug satisfaction had only increased in the last several hours when he'd discovered Young had stepped down from his command and turned the ship over to Camille's rather questionable hands. But she knew it wasn't so much that Young was no longer in command that had Rush in such an exuberant mood, but rather the fact that Camille had given him authority over his science team, Eli included. There was nothing more to get in the way of his research on the chair.

She opened her laptop and plugged it into the adapter Brody had fashioned for her, ready to set to work as Franklin set down his case and stared excitedly at the chair. "So…this is it," he breathed reverently, running his hand over the headrest.

"This is it," Rush murmured in response.

"Very impressive- I mean, as far as chairs go," Volker said, following Park and Brody into the room.

"Well, time will tell, I suppose," Rush answered as he switched on his console.

Lisa Park took her place at the secondary console and did the same, the screen blinking to life. "So, you sit in the chair and it downloads the secrets of the universe into your head?"

Belle huffed a small laugh, though it sounded strange to her ears. She couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that crept beneath her skin as she stared at the ancient device.

Eli wasn't helping with his doom and gloom attitude. "And then you die," he said with mock cheerfulness. "Yay!"

"Not necessarily, Eli," Rush scolded with a sigh of exasperation for the boy's lack of vision.

Brody circled around the chair, eyeing it with no small amount of skepticism. "Every time it's ever been tried…" he held up his thumb and forefinger a mere inch apart. "…this close to death."

"Who's tried it," Franklin asked with a puzzled frown. Belle bit her lip to keep from rolling her eyes at the man. Clearly he hadn't studied up on the stargate program as much as she had.

"General O'Neil for one," Belle said, pulling up the necessary program on her laptop to have it ready for Rush to begin.

"And he survived," Franklin argued, not sure what the big fuss was.

"We don't have a little grey alien to set things right this time," Brody snarked, referring to the general's experience with the last neural device HWC had come across.

"No, we don't," Rush intoned, leaning against the console as he focused on the prize sitting in the center of the room. "But this is an earlier model of that same device, possibly a prototype built very early in their evolution."

Eli sighed as he leaned over Belle's shoulder, his eyes soaking in the data on the screen. "In my experience, the 1.0 version's usually the most bug-y."

Belle nudged him with her shoulder, not quite comfortable having him invading her personal space. She'd never been able to focus on her work with someone peering over her shoulder. "It's also the simplest," she retorted.

"Maybe it's _really_ simple. Maybe it just tells you how to fly the ship," Franklin suggested. Belle stared at him incredulously, wondering how the man had ever been made a part of their team if he were going to make such asinine remarks.

"Well, I'm sure it's a bit more than that," Rush said, saving the scientist from her sarcastic reply. "But your point is well made. It's knowledge of the ship we need. If we're to survive- or, for that matter, get back to Earth one day- then I'm convinced that this chair is the only way to do that."

"Maybe there's a way of _choosing_ what information gets downloaded," Park said absently as she began to process the data on her console.

Brody shifted restlessly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Or, maybe it's just a matter of slowing the download so it can be cut off."

"Hence the program Nicholas and I have been writing. If there's some way we can perhaps slow down the transfer of data it might keep it from deep frying our brains," Belle replied, moments away from slipping into a trance-like state as she always did when she focused on her equations.

"There's only one way to find out." Rush left the console to stand at the back of the chair, placing his index fingers against the headrest, pointing to it. "This is our priority now."

Belle sighed as her eyes met his. His obsession gleamed in the sable depths. She'd seen it before when he'd been intent on solving the dialing sequence for the ninth chevron and just as it was then, she had cause to worry.

X*X*X*X*X

The ship was quiet, too quiet, Dr. Franklin thought with a yawn as he continued to go over the data he was analyzing on his laptop. There had to be something he was missing and he had to wonder if he was just too tired to see it.

Eli strolled into the room. "Hey, still here?"

"Yeah, I got stuck with the late shift. Belle dragged Rush off to grab something to eat and stretch her legs. They should be back soon," he said, looking up at the boy before turning back to his screen.

Eli nodded, moving to the console and switching it on. "How's it coming?"

Franklin sighed wearily and rubbed at the tension along his nape. "It's not," he explained. "We've run every Ancient systems diagnostic we've got. Nothing. Rush and Belle have tried to write a new program, but it seems like this thing..." He gestured toward the chair, "... is designed to prevent any kind of access except through the chair itself."

"Which would prevent an alien species who doesn't happen to share Ancient physiology from trying to hack in, I guess," the boy said with a nod.

"Maybe Rush is right. Maybe we're close enough for it to work," Franklin murmured more to himself than to his companion.

Eli snorted. "Believe me, if Rush thought it was safe, he'd be sitting there right now."

"Yeah. Maybe," the rotund scientist agreed.

"You should get some rest," Eli said, stifling a yawn.

Franklin shook his head. "Nah. Rush is due to relieve me at twenty-three hundred. If I wasn't here, I'd never hear the end of it. Maybe you could go to the Mess and get me some of Becker's alien mashed potatoes? Or maybe some of that stew he served up for lunch."

"Sure," Eli said, sauntering slowly to the door. "I'll be back soon."

Franklin offered him a weak smile and turned back to the chair, eyeing it thoughtfully.

X*X*X*X*X

Everett frowned down at the primer in his hands, wondering how Eli had been able to convince him learning Ancient was beneficial enough to suffer the headaches of becoming fluent. "Just think…you'll be able to appreciate the arguments Belle and Rush have when they think we can't understand them." He tossed the primer onto the low coffee table next to the sofa in his quarters. It might be incentive enough for Eli to learn, but not quite enough for Young to put forth the effort.

He leaned back into the plush cushions and rested his head against the back of the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a long time since he'd felt so out of sorts. Having stepped down from his command didn't sit well with him at all. Camille might think she was capable of leading these people, but would she really defer to him if an emergency arose and she needed his expertise and training?

"This is Eli," came the boy's frantic voice over the radio, disrupting the colonel's reverie. "Anybody on this channel? I-I need help!"

Young hefted himself hurriedly to his feet and retrieved his radio from his desk. "Eli, this is Young. What is it?"

"I-I have a medical emergency. I need help _now_!" he squawked, panic clearly evident in his tone.

Everett slammed his hand against the door release and set off down the corridor, his pace rapid. "Eli, calm down. Where are you?"

"Chair r-room. I-I don't know what to do…I…hurry," he said frantically.

He nearly ran into TJ as she came out of a side corridor and raced along with him, her medical bag slung over her shoulder. "What's going on?"

TJ shrugged as she ran at his side. "I don't know yet. I'm just responding to Eli's pleas for help."

Young preceded her into the neural chair interface room, his eyes rounding in horror as he rushed to Eli's side. Dr. Franklin was in the chair, his body convulsing as he whimpered, his eyes staring sightlessly ahead. The prongs on the chair attached to the headrest dug deeply into the man's temples, little rivulets of blood trailing down the sides of his face as Eli fought to unscrew them from the bracket in the hopes of freeing him.

"What happened?" TJ asked, not really expecting an answer as she set her bag down and opened it.

"I don't know," Belle cried, her fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard as she sought a way to release Franklin from the chair. "Nicholas and I came back from the mess to start our shift and found him like this."

Rush input data on the wall panel where the screens were lit up with the neural scans of the chair's sole occupant to no avail, no one in the room willing to voice their fears.

TJ stared helplessly at the scientist trapped in the chair, his hand and feet captive in the clamps. "How long's he been in here?"

Finally - either because the program had finished or because Rush or Eli had found the off switch - the prongs withdrew from Franklin's head and the clamps released him. As the headpiece flipped back over the top of the chair, he slumped forward. TJ and Young caught him, preventing him from toppling to the floor.

Eli raked a hand through his hair, pleading with the colonel to understand. "I-I went to the mess for five minutes and when I got back he was already in the chair. Belle and Rush got here maybe a minute later."

Young glared suspiciously across the room at Rush who- as usual- wore an inscrutable expression on his weathered face.

X*X*X*X*X

TJ stepped away from the gurney where they'd laid Franklin when he'd been brought to the infirmary and faced those gathered in the doorway awaiting news. "Well, the convulsions have stopped but he's completely unresponsive. He's basically in a deep catatonic state."

Camille raked a hand through her long straight hair and heaved a sigh. "Is there anything you can do for him?"

"We could try a high dose of lorazepam, see if it'll bring him out of it, but I'm flying blind here."

Camille hesitated only a moment before making her decision. "Do it."

TJ cast her gaze across to Young uncertainly, but he deliberately refused to answer or comment as he waited for her to remember that Camille was in charge now. Eventually she returned her gaze back to Camille and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

As TJ got to work preparing the syringe, Camille and Young left the infirmary. Belle turned to him as soon as he gained the corridor where they were waiting for news. "How is he?" she asked, wringing her hands.

Young walked a few paces away before his temper broke through the calm reserve of his training, hissing furiously at Rush. "You just couldn't wait, could you?"

"You are not going to blame Nicholas!" Belle screeched indignantly. "This wasn't his fault and you know it."

"Anyone who had access to that room was under strict orders not to sit in that chair," Rush said, coming to his own defense.

"You knew!" the colonel roared, his voice echoing in the stillness of the corridor. "You knew the temptation was there. In fact, you made sure of it by telling them it was our only chance."

"We were there to determine the feasibility of accessing that information..." Rush said calmly in the face of Young's rage.

Everett continued thundering at him as if Rush hadn't spoken, bellowing over him. "You wanted someone there…"

"…without risking anyone's life," Rush continued.

"BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE GUTS TO DO IT YOURSELF!" He stood toe to toe with the doctor, staring down at him.

Rush flushed, his cheeks heating as he looked away from the man and Belle stepped between them. "Enough! It's not his fault, Everett. Now back off. He cannot be held responsible for Franklin's accident when the man had already been warned not to use the chair."

Young continued to glare at Rush, who stared at the floor like an adolescent scolded by his angry father and it made Belle only want to lash out more. Thankfully, Camille stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. "It was under _my_ authority, so ultimately it's my responsibility."

The colonel turned and glared down into her stoic face. "I know," he hissed, regaining some control after his outburst. He held her gaze for a bit longer before turning back to Rush who still wouldn't meet his eyes. Finally, he walked away, needing time to think things through.

Rush threw a long dark look at his back before grabbing Belle's hand in his, twining their fingers and leading her in the opposite direction.

Scott whirled on Eli as Camille returned to the infirmary to help TJ. "You've got those damn Kinos running day and night all over the danged ship and you are telling me not one of them saw something...ANYTHING!?"

"No!" Eli insisted. "I've been over it twice. There's nothing there!"

"Look again," he commanded. "He was framed, Eli. We are gonna find out by who and we're gonna put a stop to it."

Eli threw up his hands in defeat and whirled about on his heel to return to his quarters, hoping that this time when he went over the footage, he would find a glimmer of hope to help the colonel.

X*X*X*X*X

"I don't need you to defend me!" Rush crowed angrily as he followed Belle into the chair room, his face flushed an angry red as they continued the argument that had started when they'd left the infirmary.

She arched a brow at him, holding her tongue until Lisa edged her way out the door, leaving them alone. "Yes, darling, because you were doing such a splendid job of standing up to him," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "He had no right to say those things to you, and now you're feeling guilty."

Rush crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the floor.

"Gods! That's it, isn't it? You're feeling guilty because of what happened to Franklin." She studied the slight twitching at the corner of his left eye and groaned. "You were hoping he'd do something like this to further our research, weren't you? You knew!"

"Yes." His shoulders drooped a bit under the face of her bitter disappointment. "I knew there was a possibility he'd sit in the chair," he replied in low tones.

"Oh, Nicholas," she said, shaking her head as she cast him a pained look. "You do play the game quite well, but one of these days your machinations are going to reach up and bite you in the arse." She reached up, putting a hand to her head to fight off a wave of dizziness as the ship lurched. They'd dropped out of FTL.

Rush glanced up at the countdown clock above the door. "That's odd," he commented, a frown drawing his brows together. "Three hours doesn't give us much time to go down to the planet if there's one viable. Why don't you go down to the gate room and see—"

"We're in the middle of a conversation, Nicholas," she protested.

"And we can do this later, Belle. Right now we've work to do."

She glared at him, her eyes flashing blue fire as she stalked towards the door. "Stubborn, controlling, manipulative asshole!" she grumbled as she left. "We're not done with this, Rush, I promise you."

"I know, love," he mumbled when she was out of earshot. "I know."

X*X*X*X*X

"Belle I really need you to do this for me," Camille said as she hovered near the console in the gate room. "With the shift in authority, I want a civilian to lead the team and it's down to you or Rush. Considering that only the ship exploding in a burst of flame could tear him away from his research; that leaves you."

"He's not going to be happy about this, Camille. I just promised him a few days ago that I wouldn't go off world unless he accompanied me." She took the fatigues Vanessa James thrust at her and turned to go change. "You won't mind explaining your edict to him, I'm sure."

Park helped Volker with the large pack he lifted onto his back and handed him a small case filled with their testing equipment as Kane joined them. Camille moved away from the console as Belle came back in, dressed for the foray down to the planet, a small pack draped over her shoulder.

"Alright, it doesn't look like there's much vegetation around the gate, so you may have to widen your search," Camille said, smiling faintly at Belle. She looked around as Vanessa and another marine, both geared up for the expedition, stepped over to join the team of scientists. "Lt. James and Airman Rennie will be providing security…" She pressed the Kino remote into Belle's hand that would give her access to the gate once they were offworld. "…but you're in charge."

Belle rolled her eyes. It was all about power with that woman, she thought irritably, but she held back her biting words, wishing to be off. The sooner this could be accomplished, the sooner she'd be able to return. Without waiting to see if the rest of the team followed, she set off up the ramp and disappeared through the puddle shimmering in the gate.

X*X*X*X*X

Rush fumed silently as he began to process the data he'd received from Franklin's failed attempt to use the chair. He could really benefit from Belle's expertise with the computer. Yet Camille had taken it upon herself to send his assistant down to the planet. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to have the IOA representative in charge after all.

The radio crackled to life at his elbow where it rested on the console and he felt a burst of excitement at the news Brody relayed to him. "An alien ship? Are you sure?"

"That's what Belle said," the engineer confirmed.

He looked up at the countdown clock ticking away above the door, his heart racing with excitement. "We've got just over two hours before we jump back into FTL. I'm on my way!"

Rush hurried to his quarters and pulled on the fatigues he kept there, grabbing a messenger bag before he set out for the mess. He had Becker prepare him two canteens and some of the dried fruit available. Belle's stalwart belief to always be prepared for any situation seemed to be rubbing of on him. He thanked the man before darting towards the gate room.

Young stepped into his path before he could make it to his destination however. "I was just coming to get you," the colonel said. Rush could still see that spark of anger in his dark eyes Young wasn't quite adept at hiding.

"Not now," Rush said irritably, trying to move around him. "I have to get to the planet."

"It can wait," Everett snapped.

"Look, they found the remains of a crashed alien ship," Rush tried to explain, wondering why the man wouldn't just move out of his way and let him proceed with the mission. "There's very little time before we jump back to FTL."

Again Rush tried to move past him and Young firmly gripped his forearm, forestalling his escape. "It can wait," he reiterated.

Rush looked at him nervously, but nodded and followed him to Eli's quarters. Camille was there as well. Eli pressed play on his laptop where the missing Kino footage he'd discovered was on display for their perusal. It clearly showed a coldly determined Spencer in his quarters on the night in question, the only illumination in the room provided by the FTL lights shining through the porthole.

Nicholas leaned against the door jamb and crossed his arms over his chest, bristling at being delayed.

Spencer spoke into the Kino, recording what appeared to be his version of a suicide note. "It's been about a week since I ran out of pills. Haven't slept much since. I can't think. Everything's ... I don't know." He sighed heavily, resolute in his conviction. "These people don't even realize they're inside a big floating coffin. I wish I could come up with something better to say." He looked away from the Kino for a moment, before squaring his shoulders. "I'm sorry." The marine sergeant raised the pistol to his head and pulled the trigger.

Camille jumped and Rush cringed away from the sight. Young watched him closely as Eli switched off the recording and turned away from the laptop.

"The Kino kept recording," Eli explained, "but the file must have gotten corrupted in the transfer. This is all I could get."

Scott shifted restlessly. "The point is, it wasn't there when Greer found the body, so we know someone took it along with the gun."

Young stabbed Eli with a penetrating stare. "Who would have the skills to delete the file from the mainframe?"

Eli snorted. "It's not that hard, really. Anyone with basic knowledge of the ship's computer. Uh, at least a dozen people, if not more."

Camille cleared her throat as she lifted her troubled gaze to the colonel. "Colonel, I'm sorry. I…uh…I-I don't know what to say. Obviously we need to re-think our situation."

"Obviously," Scott scoffed, weary of the woman and her ambitions to take over the colonel's command.

"We should recall the team from the planet," she said, moving to leave the room.

"No, no, we can't do that," Rush hurried to protest, preventing her exit. "In over a dozen planets we haven't had a single indication of advanced technology up until now." He gestured to the Kino footage frozen on Eli's screen. "This mess isn't going anywhere."

"He's right," Everett reluctantly agreed. "The ship could be important. I'm going too."

"If you think it's really..."

"I'm not asking permission," Young hissed, effectively cutting her off. "I'm _telling_ you."

Camille tried to maintain her dignity as she nodded, ceding the leadership of Destiny back to the colonel.

Young glared at Rush as the doctor pushed himself away from the bulkhead. "Let's go."

X*X*X*X*X

Rush drank deeply from his canteen as he made his way across the rocky terrain surrounding the stargate. Young walked stiffly at his side, but the doctor ignored him, focused more on the new discovery the team had made that should be around the next hill…

Nicholas rushed forward as the ship loomed into view, half buried in a ton of rock and debris at the top of a hillock. Volker was standing beneath the hull of the ship, inspecting what seemed to be a hatch. He looked up as Rush approached.

"Well, it's not Ancient. That much we've figured out. The material, the design—it's completely different," the astrophysicist explained.

Dr. Kane stared up at the ship. "It's not emitting any radiation or EM fields. It's basically dead."

Dale handed Rush a small hand held scanner as the doctor cast a searching glance around the area. "Where the hell is Belle?"

Volker cringed as he pointed upwards to the top of the ship. "Up there."

He scrambled up the slope to investigate the hatch. "Have you been inside?" he asked the two members of his team.

"We haven't figured out how to open the hatch," Dale said, "We'll probably have to cut it open."

"Belle!" Rush called, moving to the side of the forward cockpit so his voice would carry to her. Her head appeared over the side as she grinned down at him. "What are you doing up there?"

"I found another hatch up here," she exclaimed excitedly. "It's got some type of puzzle lock and I'm trying to work it out to see if we can gain access inside."

Rush shook his head. If anyone could figure it out, it would be his Belle. Young seemed more intent on the idea of the first hatch however. "How much time would it take to cut it open?" he asked, turning to Volker.

"More than we have," he admitted ruefully. He had to be honest with himself; he'd love to see what was inside.

Young glanced down at his watch to check the time and motioned for Vanessa to join him. "Lieutenant, let's pack it up."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

Rush held the lead attached to the scanner up to the hatch as he monitored the data on the small screen. "No, just-just give me a few more minutes," he protested.

Young snorted. "I don't see how a few minutes is gonna make a difference."

"Well, it might."

"All right, I'm willing to push it if you are." He looked over at Volker. "Take your team and head back to the gate."

Dale frowned over at Rush, who was still scrambling around under the hatch as he tried to figure out the best way to open it. "Are you sure, Dr. Rush?"

Rush glanced at the astrophysicist briefly, nodding. "Yeah, we'll be right behind you."

"Belle," Rush called out. "Belle, come down from there. It's time to return to the ship."

"I've almost got it, Nicholas," she returned absently, pressing the symbols on the hatch in a different series. "Give me five more minutes!"

"Now!"

Belle grumbled under her breath as she sat down and slid along the shiny metal hull to the gravel surrounding the ship. Carefully, she made her way around the ship until she was standing at his side. "Fine, but I don't think we have time to try to get in this way either."

"Grab your pack and head back to the gate with Volker and the rest of the team. I—"

She cut him off, her brows drawing into a concerned frown as she cast a fleeting look between him and the colonel. "Aren't you coming?"

Rush shook his head, not sparing her a glance as he focused on the hatch. "It's alright, Belle. The colonel and I are going to stay a bit longer." He set the scanner aside and brushed a curl behind her ear, realizing she was worried for him. "I'll be along. Go on back to the ship."

"I'd rather stay too," she insisted. She leaned into his touch, her eyes wide and fearful. "I don't like the idea of leaving you here with him, Nicholas."

He sighed and stared off into the distance in the direction of the gate. "Please, Belle," was all he said, making his wishes clear.

"Don't be late, Nicholas." She made her way down the slope, sliding and slipping when her tread lost traction. She gave Young a pointed look as she grabbed her pack and passed him, making sure he knew without her having to tell him that she didn't trust him in the least.

Satisfied that she was going to do as he wished, he focused once more on the hatch. "You know, Volker was right. This is unlike any other kind of alien technology we've encountered before. If they're indigenous to this part of the universe, they might be willing to trade- knowledge, information." He banged on the hatch, a hollow thud greeting him. "There has to be a way in."

"I know it was you," Young said, matter-of-factly, his voice barely able to disguise his loathing for the scientist he'd come to view as his adversary.

Rush froze, his hands stilling on the hatch as he half turned towards the man. "I'm sorry?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant when his gut churned with trepidation.

"The files were not corrupted," the colonel continued, squinting against the sun as he stared up at Rush. "The Kino kept recording until you came into the room."

Rush's shoulders sagged resignedly now that his ruse had been exposed. He really was going to have to get Belle to show him her little secrets for manipulating the ship's computer.

"So let's hear it," Everett snapped. "Let's hear how you lie your way out of this one."

Rush slowly turned and walked down the slope towards Young. "I heard a shot," he began, realizing there was no point in withholding the truth from the man now that he'd been exposed. "I went to investigate and I found him."

"And then you, uh, you decided to frame me for murder." Young glared at him pointedly, wanting…_needing_…clarification. Young pasted a grin on his face, which turned out to be more of a snarl, when a smirk bloomed on the scientist's thin lips.

"That's a bit melodramatic," Rush replied. "No - I knew there wouldn't be any real evidence against you. The idea was to create just enough doubt to get you to step aside."

"I see," Young said, a mirthless chuckle falling from his lips. "That was the idea."

"Well, you're the wrong man for the job, Colonel," he said in all seriousness, confident in his convictions. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to say it but I think you know it's true."

"Do I?"

"You don't believe in the mission," Rush explained. Young looked off into the distance, unable to look into the accusing sable orbs of his nemesis. "You resigned your position as S.G. leader because you didn't wanna make the hard decisions, the life and death decisions. Well, that makes you a liability," Nicholas sneered, his lip curling in disgust. "I'm not proud of what I did, but I did it for the benefit of everyone on board."

"The end justifies the means," Young said, the calmness of his voice hiding the fiery anger in his dark eyes.

"Yeah, something like that."

Abruptly and without warning, Young's meaty fist flew forward and connected with the left side of Rush's stubbled jaw. Nicholas covered the spot with his hand as pain exploded in his head. He doubled over as his senses reeled before turning to stare incredulously at the man who was responsible for his well-being. This wasn't supposed to happen. The colonel had taken an oath to lead, to protect and care for those under his command. This went against everything he knew about the man.

Rush straightened, dazed; only to have the colonel hit him again and again. He fell to the ground after the third blow landed, his mind a haze of pain, but he knew if he remained there defenseless on the ground, the people stranded aboard Destiny would be left alone, unaware of the true nature of the man before him. His Belle would be left without him and that was unacceptable. He held his bleeding lip with his left hand as the right scrambled beneath him, searching for anything large enough to use as a weapon.

As Young stood over him, waiting for him to get up, Rush picked up a small rock and threw it at him. It gave him hope when it hit Young in the face and he used the distraction to heft himself to his feet and hurl his body towards the colonel. They fell to the rock-littered ground and rolled over and over one another, struggling as each fought to gain the upper hand before coming to a rest at the bottom of the slope.

Everett knew what he was doing, had been trained in hand to hand combat and quickly gained the advantage over the smaller man. He grabbed the back of Rush's jacket and tossed him forcefully down, face first into the rock strewn ground, delivering a punch to his kidneys before lifting his head and slamming it down again. He didn't give the doctor a chance to recover, hauling him to his feet and gripping the front of his jacket to stare into his bleeding face.

His chest heaving with exertion, Young snarled ominously, "Are we done?"

Nicholas's lip curled back over his teeth in a sneer as he searched the colonel's face. He ignored the pain, focusing on one last look at the man he was sure would be responsible for his death. A surge of hatred flowed through his veins like molten steel as he hissed belligerently, "We'll never be done."

Everett slammed his brow into Rush's, the blow effectively rendering him unconscious. He let the scientist drop like a stone to the ground and looked down on him with rage churning in his gut. After a long moment, he turned and set off towards the gate, trying not to think about what he would have to tell his crew.

X*X*X*X*X

Belle paced back and forth before the gate where she stood at the top of the ramp, her cerulean gaze frantically darting between her watch and the direction from which she knew Nicholas and the colonel would be coming. They had mere minutes to spare and she could feel the raw panic burning in her chest. She forced herself to calm as she took a deep breath and trained her eyes on the horizon for the first glimpse of the two men, her ears perking for the slightest sound. What could be taking them so long?

Her heart stuttered in her chest and she could taste the metallic bitterness of fear at the back of her tongue as she watched Everett jog around the curve in the path and towards the gate. She stood frozen at the top of the ramp, looking past him, waiting for Rush to follow behind him.

Young strode up the ramp and took her elbow, his face a mask of concern as he swiped at the blood trickling from the cut over his left eye. "What are you still doing here? I ordered you back to the ship with the rest of the team," he blustered, trying to pull her with him through the puddle.

"Where's Rush?" she cried. "Where is he!?"

"There was a rockslide. He didn't make it," he stated in solemn tones.

Belle stood her ground, digging in her heels as she looked back towards the area from which he'd come. There had been no rumbling in the terrain beneath her feet, no rising cloud of dirt and rock on the horizon that would have signaled such and she knew. She knew without the smallest hint of doubt that he was lying.

"You left him!" she shrieked, fighting off the stinging at the back of her lids. "How could you leave him!?" She pulled forcefully, trying to jerk her arm from his vise-like grip, but he held on. "Let me go, you bastard. Let me go to him!"

Young managed to pull her forward an inch or two towards the puddle. "No, we have to go now. The ship will be jumping back into FTL in less than two minutes."

A myriad of emotions fought for domination within her as she turned to snarl at the colonel, to spew the hate and loathing she felt for the man. She had a choice. She could return to the ship and find some way to deal with the loss of her Nicholas, or she could try to find him, save him. Her decision was simple in the end. She would happily give her life for him. The shock was like ice water flowing through her veins, but she couldn't deny it any longer…she loved Dr. Nicholas Rush and she wouldn't leave him to perish alone in this wasteland.

"Belle, we have to go!"

She relaxed her muscles and let him pull her forward, giving him the false sense that she would acquiesce to his wishes. His grip on her arm loosened to the tiniest degree and she struck, using the full weight of her body to swing up and pop him in the nose with her elbow. Her release was instantaneous as his hands rose to cover the injury. She took advantage of his surprise and shoved him through the puddle, his eyes wide with disbelief as he disappeared.

The gate hissed as the connection was broken and she didn't hesitate even a fraction of a second as she broke into a run, her muscles screaming as she pushed herself towards the last place she'd seen Rush. Tears streamed down her face and her lungs burned from the exertion, but she didn't stop. The sound of crunching gravel beneath her military issue boots was her only companion as she raced along the path.

A cry, reminiscent of a wounded animal, tore free from her chest as she spotted him lying on the ground and she spurred her feet to move faster. She dropped down to kneel next to him, shoving the pack from her shoulders, unable to bear the weight for another moment. He was still and unmoving, his poor face covered in blood and dirt from his fight with Young and her hands reached out tentatively to touch his battered cheek. She felt for a pulse with shaking fingers, nearly sobbing when she felt it throb steadily beneath his jaw.

Belle sat back on her haunches, sighing deeply as her heart resumed a more natural tempo in her chest. She lifted his head into her lap and leaned over to block the sun from his face, mentally cursing Young to the seventh circle of hell for what he'd done. She carded her fingers through his dusty locks as her eyes scanned their surroundings, ignoring the niggling fear in the back of her mind that predicted certain doom if they remained where they were. The temperature was already dropping as the sun faded from the sky and she knew they'd have to find shelter soon to protect them from the elements.

Pain was the first thing he noticed and a groan of agony escaped his chapped and bloodied lips as he returned to consciousness. A soft shushing sound and the tender stroke of fingers in his hair was not, however, what he was expecting now that the events of the day were rushing through his mind. A soft hand cupped his cheek and he flinched away, almost afraid to open his eyes.

"Shh, darling, I've got you," the gentle voice crooned softly. A woman, his mind registered and his eyes flew open in shock and disbelief…_his _woman, his Belle.

Rush struggled into a sitting position and turned to face her, praying she was real and his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. But if she was truly real and not a figment of his imagination, it could only mean one thing. She was stranded there just as he was instead of safely aboard Destiny. He reached out a dusty hand to her, drawing back as it came in contact with the smooth rosy flesh of her cheek and a whimper of despair escaped his throat.

"Belle…"

She launched herself at him, winding her arms about his neck and burying her face in his shaggy hair. "Thank the gods," she cried, tears falling unchecked from her closed lids as she savored the feel of his arms around her. "I thought I'd lost you and then it took you so long to wake up," she sobbed.

He stroked his hands over her back, unable to resist pulling her closer, drawing on her inner strength to comfort him. "You shouldn't be here, love. Why didn't you go back to the ship as I asked?"

"I couldn't leave you, Nicholas." She drew away from him to meet his gaze her chest ratcheting with pain as she saw the fear in his eyes. "I promised I wouldn't leave you."

He rose unsteadily to his feet, pulling her up with him, not sure whether he wanted to kiss her senseless for caring enough to stay with him or shake her for disobeying. He kissed her.

"What do we do now?" she asked as he tucked her head beneath his chin and scanned their surroundings.

"We need shelter," he said, his eyes falling on the ship looming above them. "And apparently we've only one choice if we're to survive the night."

Belle retrieved her pack and slung it over her shoulder before threading her fingers with his and pulling him up the slope behind her. "Then I suggest we get started."

**A/N: OMG I never thought I would finish this chapter! It's the longest yet and can I tell you it gave me no end of grief. However, writing the last two sections was freakin awesome! I really hope ya'll enjoyed it. Would love to hear your thoughts on it, so please drop me a line (o: I know I wrote my o/s Desolation based on episode 11, but with this fic, I'm going in a completely different direction. In the next chapter there will be tons of original stuff that completely deviates from the episode. Belle and Rush are about to have a lot of hardship ahead of them, but it's really going to make their feelings for one another stronger and allow them to grow. Thank you all so much for following this story and thinking enough of it to nominate it for TEA. You all are just amazing.**

**Much love to my awesome sauce reviewers: cynicsquest, PartyintheTARDIS12, lynnphana, xXSedationXx, juju0268 (chapters 2, 5 & 9), JosephineM and Twyla Mercedes. You guys rock so hard!**


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